COWBOY clampers and belligerent seaside bouncers could soon be curbed, says Blackpool South Labour MP Gordon Marsden.

"I have been pressing for greater controls on cowboy clampers and the private security industry, and I am delighted that the Government has now responded positively in the form of the Private Security Industry Bill," he added.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Marsden said the Bill, which received its second reading and now goes to its committee stage, was an important measure for seaside towns like Blackpool, which should be able to promote a culture of quality and reliability instead of the yob culture that too often disfigured them.

Some private security and clamping businesses had attracted increasing numbers of local complaints and were also beginning to have a negative impact on tourism. "In nine months police in Blackpool received approximately 131 complaints about clamping," he said.

"After I sounded off about wheelclamping I received a visit at one of my advice centres from a large and burly representative of such a company. I am still here, " he told MPs. Mr Marsden said it was not unusual for up to 50,000 mainly young people to be in the pubs and clubs of Blackpool town centre between midnight and 2am on a Friday or Saturday. "Clearly, regulation of the behaviour of security staff is of key importance in terms not only of setting the tone for whether people have a good night out, but of preserving public security and public order."

Mr Marsden paid tribute to everyone in Blackpool South who had raised the issue and especially Blackpool Council trading standards officer Alan Smith.

"It is not only the quality of life inside people's homes that is important, but the quality of life on the street and in other public places as people go about enjoying the facilities that towns have to offer.

"That is why the Bill will make such a significant and important contribution to the quality of life in seaside and coastal towns," he added.