Local car salesman prosecuted for selling unroadworthy car - The Stratford Observer

Local car salesman prosecuted for selling unroadworthy car

Stratford Editorial 7th Aug, 2017   0

A CAR dealer has been prosecuted for selling an unroadworthy vehicle.

Warwickshire Trading Standards launched an investigation into 73 year-old dealer John Paul Hunt, trading as JPH Autos in Wootton Wawen, after receiving a stream of complaints.

Undercover trading standards officers bought a Ford StreetKA advertised on the JPH Autos website and got an expert vehicle examiner to check its condition.

He found a number of issues which made the vehicle unroadworthy, including heavy corrosion to the chassis, badly corroded coil springs and a deteriorating exhaust system. The steering was also over sensitive, even at low speeds, and the rear fog light did not work.




When an officer went to buy the car he expected to pay the advertised price of £1,250, but was then told an extra £75 needed to be paid. This was also an offence.

Hunt, of Lady Lane, Shirley, pleaded guilty at Nuneaton Magistrates Court to all the charges put to him under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, Companies Act, and the Road Traffic Act.


Hunt was ordered to pay £450 in fines, costs and a victim surcharge.

Hunt represented himself. In mitigation he stated it was not him that had carried out the sale but one of his employees, adding he had now ceased trading as JPH Autos.

Warwickshire County Council community safety spokesman Coun Howard Roberts said:“When we buy a used car, whatever its price, we should have confidence that the vehicle we are purchasing is roadworthy and safe to drive.”

“Unroadworthy vehicles put the lives of all road users at risk. Warwickshire Trading Standards Service will continue to take action to prevent the sale of potentially dangerous and unroadworthy vehicles, helping to ensure consumers aren’t deceived into buying cars that could be worthless and potentially lethal to drive.”

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