A 30-year-old mother said she thought it was “disgusting” that her car was clamped while she had pulled over to do up her one-year-old son’s seat belt.

Briya Ahmed was in the car with her two sons and niece on a trip to buy new clothes for Eid.

She says her youngest son had managed to wriggle out of his seat belt so she stopped in the car park of the New World American Pool and Snooker Club in Opal Mews near Ilford Town Centre.

Ms Ahmed, of Woodford Green, said: “It’s really wrong. It’s disgusting they don’t value a child’s safety before money. I was literally there for a second and they are big guys, they are quite intimidating.”

After stopping on a kerb to try and put her son’s seat belt on she says she realised it was unsafe as his door opened on to the road so she pulled into the car park.

“A man came to the window and I explained it to him,” said Ms Ahmed. “He said it wasn’t their problem, it was about 30 seconds if that, I strapped him in and they had put a clamp on.”

She pulled into the car park on Thursday at about 5.30pm.

The two men then allegedly said she would have to pay �225 to get the clamp removed and if she did not pay it immediately her car would be towed away.

“It’s a lot of money so I didn’t have it on me, they said I had to call someone to come down and pay it for me,” said Ms Ahmed. “I called the number but they didn’t accept cards without identification.”

The person on the phone then decided that they could accept the card without identification if they took her photo.

She said: “The men said it was taking too long and the price was going up and the tow truck was coming.”

“My other son was getting upset as I was getting upset, he thought the police were going to take us away but they didn’t care,” added Ms Ahmed.

Securak has been the subject of a string of complaints from drivers clamped in the car park of the pool and snooker club. They were unavailable for comment.