MORE measures are to be introduced to prevent consumers getting bad deals when buying used cars, the Government has announced.

This follows an investigation by the Government-appointed Used Car Commission into problems reported by consumers about the second-hand car sector which is valued at £38bn with 7.1m sales a year.

Consumer Affairs Minister Jo Swinson, who launched the commission last year, has called on the commission to implement proposals including:

:: Closer cooperation between the police and trading standards to target organised criminals who steal vehicles for export, clone them or break them up for parts;

:: The development of a minimum set of requirements for used car codes and trader approval schemes to ensure consumers are better protected and improve customer services;

:: A focus on information gathering on used cars so current and emerging issues can be quickly identified and acted on by police forces and trading standards.

Ms Swinson said: "While the majority of second-hand car buyers will have a trouble-free experience, too many consumers are left with unresolved issues or thousands of pounds out of pocket.

"The AA estimates that 750,000 consumers a year face unresolved problems with a used-car purchase, so it is clear why the commission's work is so important."

David Bruce, director of AA Cars, the AA's used car buying platform, said: "This is the latest Government initiative to clean up the used car market, which started with the Office of Fair Trading investigation two years ago.

"There is clearly a need to improve the landscape for both buyers of used cars and honest dealers and some welcome recommendations have been made to take this further."