5:43 pm, March 28, 2014
A USED car salesman has become the first person in the UK to be prosecuted for using the public pavement as a car showroom.
Azeem Afsar, 22, was taken to court for using the road outside his house in Heaton, Newcastle, to sell cars.
According to the website Chronicle Live, Afsar admitted to breaking laws surrounding advertising cars for sale if they are within 500 metres of each other. He has since ceased trading. The 22-year old told Chronicle Live Newcastle City Council was ‘punishing small businesses’.
Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes told the website: ‘I welcome the decision of the court, which recognises the seriousness of these offences. This was a commercial operation selling cars from somebody’s house, which caused real concern and disruption to local people.
‘The council will continue to investigate complaints of this nature, while providing advice and support to help keep businesses on the right side of the law.’
Trading Standards officers found Afsar to be advertising for sale four cars on his website, which were parked in Wandsworth Road and Heaton Hall Road, Newcastle. Later on, officers found four further cars at his home.
According to Chronicle Live, when the officers contacted Afsar he said he didn’t think the legislation applied to him because cars did not have visible for sale signs.
He was fined £150 with £25 costs and a £20 victim surcharge. The company, GT Car Sales, was fined £650 plus £150 in costs and a £65 victim surcharge.
