A car trader from Whitehaven has been found guilty at Workington Magistrates Court of selling a dangerously defective car and ordered to pay a fine of £1,746, a £120 victim surcharge and £2,444.38 in legal costs.
In March 2018, Dennis Steven Evans, aged 57 of Church Cars, Preston Street in Whitehaven sold a Ford Focus to a local consumer which was found to have major structural defects, including excessively corroded brake pipes, excessive corrosion around the seat belt anchorage points, and excessive corrosion around the suspension. The vehicle was examined by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), and was immediately prohibited for use on the road.
Cllr Ceilia Tibble, Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet member for Trading Standards, said: “This is a serious offence which could have put the lives of the vehicle occupants and other road users and pedestrians at risk. Attempting to sell a car in such a poor state demonstrates a complete failure of responsibility by the business.”
Cumbria Trading Standards advise consumers who are considering purchasing a second hand vehicle to use two Government websites that provide free information about vehicles – the MOT history website and the DVLA’s vehicle enquiry website. You only need the vehicle’s registration number.
Cumbrian residents wishing to make a complaint about a vehicle they have purchased can do so by contacting the Citizens Consumer Advice Helpline on 03454 04 05 06 or visiting www.adviceguide.org.uk.
