7:56 am, October 23, 2022
A used car dealership whose boss was found guilty of fraud earlier this year has been left ‘devastated’ by a fire.
Five fire crews from Wiltshire and Gloucestershire tackled the blaze at Hyams Autos in Malmesbury early yesterday and an investigation into the cause is continuing.
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to the scene at 2.57am yesterday (Oct 22) amid fears people could be trapped in the flats above the dealership, reported the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard.
A spokesperson for the emergency service was quoted as saying that a member of the public reported seeing smoke coming from the roof of the building, with other callers confirming flames could be seen.
‘Upon arrival it was unknown if there were any persons in the flat above,’ said the spokesperson.
‘Firefighters forced entry and used rapid deployment putting themselves directly into the risk area to make an immediate start on tackling the fire.’
An aerial view by Orrin Jewell, who lives in the town and which was posted on Twitter by BBC Radio Wiltshire, showed the extent of the damage to the flats.
Fifteen firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used two hose reel jets plus a covering jet to put out the blaze, which also saw a number of vehicles damaged.
They used thermal imaging cameras to make sure nobody was inside.
‘Crews continued working throughout the morning to ensure the safety of the scene,’ added the spokesperson.
Wiltshire Police said they were helping the fire and rescue service as it made its inquiries to find out what started the blaze at the dealership, which has been in business for nearly half a century.
A statement posted on the dealership’s Facebook page later on Saturday told how they were ‘absolutely devastated’ by what had happened, adding that they were grateful that nobody had been injured.
It also said they were ‘extremely grateful for our amazing staff who have all helped and supported Paul [Hyams] so much’, and thanked the firefighters for their prompt actions.
In January, Paul Hyams was found guilty of fraud relating to a non-optional fee.
He had denied two charges of fraud by false representation, and said he didn’t set out to deliberately mislead customers.
He also pleaded not guilty to engaging in a commercial practice which is a misleading action containing false information.
It all centred on customers not being told about a non-optional £99 fee for vehicles that had been advertised on Auto Trader.
The charges before Salisbury JPs were to do with 16 vehicles sold by the business from April 18, 2018 to April 4, 2019 plus 19 sold between January 28, 2018 and July 30, 2019.
The magistrates fined Hyams £800 and told him to pay £2,000 costs plus an £80 victim services surcharge.
In a statement on the dealership’s Facebook page two days after the hearing, Hyams said that although the dealership accepted the ruling, the regulations over fees were unclear and it hadn’t deliberately set out to mislead people.
Main image of dealership via Google Street View
