Yorkshire Motor Village: Dewsbury car dealer pleads guilty to selling unsafe vehicles

On Friday, March 31, at Huddersfield Magistrates Court, Mr Mohammed Tasawar trading as Yorkshire Motor Village pleaded guilty to selling two unsafe cars.

Mr Tasawar was fined £576 and was ordered to pay £4279.66 towards the prosecution costs and £210 in legal fees.

This follows a planned visit to Yorkshire Motor Village on Huddersfield Road in Dewsbury from officers at the West Yorkshire Trading Standards along with a qualified vehicle examiner on Friday, January 20, this year.

The purpose of the visit was to inspect vehicles to ensure that they were safe and to check that vehicles were being accurately described in their adverts.

The vehicle examiner carried out detailed examinations of three vehicles that were for sale on the forecourt during the visit including, the make, model, price, mileage, MOT history, number of previous keepers and servicing history.

One of the cars that was inspected was a Volkswagen Golf. The advert stated that the vehicle was in full working order and is a solid car with full-service history, however the vehicle was deemed by the motor engineer to be unsafe and not roadworthy.

Because the vehicle was unsafe a withdrawal notice was issued, and the vehicle removed from sale.

A Seat Leon was also advertised as being a very reliable car with a long MOT. However, when the car was examined faults were discovered that would have been ordinarily spotted on any MOT inspection, making the vehicle unsafe for use on the road and for sale.

A second withdrawal notice was issued, and the vehicle removed from sale.

Further, a third vehicle was inspected and although there were several faults found with this vehicle the MOT was in date and it was deemed roadworthy and not unsafe.

On Friday, March 31, officers returned to Yorkshire Motor Village to re-inspect the vehicles.

Neither vehicle was present and documentation was given to the officers which showed the Volkswagen Golf had been scrapped and that the Seat Leon had been returned to a family member who Mr Tasawar was selling the vehicle on their behalf removed from sale.

David Strover, trading standards manager, 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.

“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.”

To report the selling of unsafe vehicles contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133. This can be done anonymously.