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Dodgy car dealers prosecuted

20/09/07

Two second-hand vehicle dealers in Hertfordshire - who may have caused their patrons to risk a car insurance claim by selling them faulty stock - have been prosecuted.

Hertfordshire Trading Standards staged an undercover operation to see whether the vehicles sold by Calibre Cars and sole trader Keith Flint were safe to be on the roads.

As part of the investigation, officials went to the dealerships and bought a total of ten automobiles at low prices, ranging between £340 and £1,100, the St Albans Observer states.

Trading Standards staff then turned the vehicles in to police for inspection, with shocking results.

Half of the vehicles examined were found to be unroadworthy, while the remaining five had faults - which could potentially have resulted in a car insurance claim for an unwitting buyer.

The two dealerships were prosecuted following the investigation as the vehicles had been found to be "potentially dangerous", with Flint being made to pay more than £700 in costs and being given a 12-month conditional discharge.

Calibre Cars and its director Stuart Kilbride were fined £1,500 and also made to pay costs.

"It is unacceptable that they were offloading potentially dangerous vehicles to unsuspecting members of the public," said a Trading Standards spokesman.

Meanwhile, the Mirror reports that common faults among used cars can often include broken lights, defective brakes and badly worn tyres, while the steering may also be dubious.

Speaking to the publication, police safety expert Dick Light warned: "Nothing can be taken for granted."

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