Check the clamping passes the enforcement compliance test and if it does not then read on:
Clamping of motor vehicles on private land is a criminal offence. Section 54 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. You can report the crime to police, and clamping on a public road is also illegal under Regulation 17(3) of the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013 when the driver (not necessarily the owner) has not received a statutory Notice of Enforcement, or the vehicle does not belong to the liable person.
This method should only be used with low value vehicles or vehicles near the end of their service life because this is a neat way to get a new car at a bailiff's expense by simply taking advantage of his abuse of authority.
For high value vehicles, use bolt cutters or pay & reclaim.
If the vehicle has already been removed then you can also consider using the small claims court route of recovering a seized vehicle.
Make a formal complaint against the bailiff citing chapter & verse on the regulations. This is how to make a formal complaint, and use the template below as your grounds for your complaint, DO NOT change its legal content.
Send the completed complaint to the court that issued the bailiff's certificate, then afterwards, email a copy to the bailiff's head office.
Watch that clamp - and possibly your old jalopy disappears too!
If the clamp alone disappears leaving the car behind, better luck next time, your bailiff wasn't so stupid. Attend the formal complaint hearing anyway, you might still get an award.
When the clamp AND the car quietly disappear in your absence, make a claim against the council for excessive levy and non-compliant taking control of goods using this template:
Wait 14 days then file a claim in the county court using a Form N1 and use the following template:
When the court sends you the form N149 Allocation Questionnaire to complete and return, use this witness statement template:
What goes around comes around. You get paid for a replacement car and it doesn't matter if it's a nicer car because "betterment" is a term used in insurance contracts and no such contract exists between you and the council. You are allowed to claim the cost of a replacement vehicle of similar and roadworthy condition plus all your costs and expenses, on the basis that you researched this legal work all by yourself as a litigant in person.