�Care home staff looking after some of the most vulnerable members of society feel they are being “hunted” by clamping firms.

Health care assistants and nurses at Stacey Street Nursing Home in Holloway say they are being charged hundreds of pounds to release their cars, which are clamped within minutes of parking.

Passes

On-street parking in Stacey Street used to be free, but has since been restricted by housing association Family Mosaic, which owns the home.

The home says they have only provided them with nine passes, despite the fact that up to 15 staff can be required at any one time.

This means staff have to park and then rush in to get a pass – but claim they have been clamped in that time, leading to a �125 on-the-spot fine, or a whopping �395 if the car is towed, which has happened to at least three staff.

Roy Jenkins, 49, a team leader at the home, said: “It is like they are waiting around the corner, hunting us. As soon as we rush out of the car to get a pass, they stick a clamp on – in less than five minutes.

“The last time I ran back with my permit and the guy hadn’t put the clamp on. I begged him not to do it and showed him my pass, but he did it anyway – they show us no consideration or compassion.

“I paid the fine on the spot so I could get on with my job and care for the residents – then he took half an hour taking it off, keeping me from my shift.”

Mr Jenkins added: “We are caring for some of the most vulnerable people. We shouldn’t have to worry about this kind of treatment when we are just trying to do our jobs.”

A spokeswoman for Family Mosaic said: “The estate is a consortium of nine landlords. We have written to all our residents informing them on how to obtain parking permits and what the restrictions are. We have also written to all the other landlords with details of the parking contractor.

“Residents are given a 10- minute grace period to allow them to go into their properties to retrieve a visitor’s permit. We will intervene if the parking contractor does not adhere to the parking agreement.”