Roadside
car traders | Roadside
traders - it's often hard to trace the car's history |
It might
seem like an easy place to buy and sell a car, but flogging your car in a lay-by
is a nuisance the authorities would like to stamp out. Lay-bys are often
the preferred location of dodgy car dealers. Buyers can easily be caught
out by this type of trader - a faulty car's history is often difficult to trace.
Up until recently it has not been an offence to sell a car in at the roadside
unless the car itself has a dangerous fault or lacks insurance and an MOT. But
new laws make it illegal for one person to sell two cars or more on the same stretch
of road. This new legislation is aimed at stamping out roadside car dealers.
Nasty surprises Inside Out's David Whiteley joins Bedfordshire
Trading Standards, the DVLA and police in a lay-by swoop on the London Road, a
notorious spot for roadside car traders.
There were some nasty surprises
to uncover.
The majority of vehicles for sale had serious faults, or problems
with paperwork. One proves to have sub standard welding, a heavily corroded
brake pipe and an insecure exhaust. The car is taken to the pound. Clamp
down
Even with the extra power of the new law, it's not easy to clamp
down on traders. Firs of all, Trading Standards have to prove that someone
is operating as a dealer. Dealers will often use different mobile phone
numbers for each car to avoid being caught. Tim Argent of Bedfordshire
Trading Standards says.. "Don't entertain buying a car
from the side of the road - it's a false economy. "You don't know
what you are buying, there's no traceability of the vehicles at all, there's no
safety checks done by the people that are selling the vehicles. "You
can potentially be in a very unsafe, unroadworthy vehicle that's not what it says
it is."
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