6:18 am, April 9, 2023
A used car dealer has been ordered to pay out more than £5,000 for trying to sell dangerous cars.
Mohammed Tasawar, who trades as Yorkshire Motor Village, admitted offences under the General Product Safety Regulations Act 2005 at Huddersfield Magistrates’ Court, said West Yorkshire Joint Services.
It followed a planned visit to the Dewsbury outfit in January 2022 by West Yorkshire trading standards officers as well as by a qualified vehicle examiner.
The officers were carrying out an operation targeting used car garages that were believed to be involved in supplying unsafe cars.
Their visit was intended to inspect vehicles to ensure they were safe and being accurately described in adverts.
The vehicle examiner had a detailed look at three vehicles for sale on the forecourt, looking into the make, model, price, mileage, MOT history, number of previous keepers and servicing history.
A Volkswagen Golf that was inspected had been advertised as being in full working order and a solid car with full service history.
However, it was deemed by the motor engineer to be unsafe and unroadworthy. As a result, a withdrawal notice was issued, and the car was removed from sale.
Meanwhile, a Seat Leon that had been advertised as being very reliable with a long MOT was found to have faults that would have seen it fail an MOT test, which West Yorkshire Joint Services said made the car unsafe for use on the road and for sale.
It too had a withdrawal notice slapped on it and was taken off sale.
An unspecified vehicle that was inspected had several faults but the MOT was in date and it was deemed roadworthy and safe.
When officers returned to the Huddersfield Road dealership in March 2022 to inspect the vehicles again, neither of the cars was there.
They were given documents that showed the Golf had been scrapped and the Leon returned to a family member on whose behalf Tasawar had been selling it.
Tasawar, 41, appeared before magistrates on March 31 where he pleaded guilty to both charges.
JPs fined him £576 and told him to pay £4,279.66 prosecution costs plus £210 legal fees – a total of £5,065.66.
After the case, trading standards manager David Strover said: ‘Second-hand car garages have a legal duty to ensure the vehicles they supply are safe and roadworthy when sold for use on the road to consumers.
‘In this case, vehicles were being offered for sale in an unroadworthy condition, and purchasers of these cars would have been exposed to unacceptable risks due to the unsafe condition of the cars, and also suffered a financial loss.
‘The sales of cars in an unsafe condition are illegal, and we will take action to marginalise such practices.’
He added: ‘Consumers looking to purchase a vehicle may wish to consider using garages that are members of a trade association and undertake detailed pre-delivery inspections to ensure the quality and safety of cars sold.’
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