THEY had just seen England's young heroes outclass Croatia at the County Ground and were on cloud nine as they returned to their cars.

But joy turned to misery for dozens of families as they discovered their cars had been clamped.

And they were even more shocked to learn it would cost them £125 plus VAT to release their vehicles.

Jenny Jones and her two sons, Rhys and Jordan, were among the families whose cars were clamped after England's 2-0 win.

She had parked her red Hyundai on the road leading into the Transfer Bridges Industrial Estate off Ocotal Way.

She claims as many as 40 vehicles were clamped, which would have generated almost £6,000 in fines.

Swindon police said they had reports of more than 30 cars being clamped in the same area and were called to the industrial estate to keep the peace.

There is a white sign saying private land - pay and display', but there were no ticket machines for confused parents.

"We all couldn't believe what was happening," said 40-year-old Jenny of Greenbridge. "It truly ruined the night.

"This was an England youth game and there were so many families that went on what was a school night.

"Everyone was distraught and a few mums were crying.

"I'd say £40 or £50 would have been hard to take and I might have accepted that.

"But £147 feels like we've been robbed at gunpoint."

Clampers were taking credit card swipes on chip and pin machines as payment.

Jenny and her two children Jordan, 11, and Rhys, seven, had not been able to park at the ground as more than 11,000 fans attended the game.

The family say they are unlikely to go to the County Ground again after the incident.

Jenny is seeking guidance from Citizens' Advice and is considering taking her case to a small claims court.

Bridgwater-based company Premier Parking Services (PPS) were behind the clamping. They were not available to comment on how many cars they clamped on Wednesday.

However, a spokeswoman said: "It is not the case that we would just turn up and clamp people," she said.

"It is part of an ongoing arrangement with the private land owner."

Chris Tanner, Swindon Town's media manager, said the club had received a number of reports of cars being clamped. "It is something we will have to look at.We would like to remind fans not to park on private property. This is something that will be brought up in our pre-match debrief," he said.