A FLEET of luxury cars which were seized by a York-based Trading Standards team, will be auctioned to the public today.

The cars, including five Bentleys and a Ferrari, were seized from a pair of rogue traders by the National Trading Standards Scambuster Team, based at City of York Council, and the North East Regional Asset Recovery Team.

A total of 12 luxury cars were seized from Kirk Claus, 47, of Mytholmroyd, and Peter Bray, 57, of Blackpool, who were convicted by Leeds Crown Court for defrauding customers of Chequered Flag Car Sales in Halifax.

The court ordered them to pay back a total of £6.4 million which had been gained through illegal sale of misdescribed second hand cars from the garage, but the investigation found the total criminal benefit to Claus, Bray, and their four co-defendants was more than £26.5m.

The auction takes place tonight at 7pm, at Wilsons Auctions in Northern Ireland, and will include the sale of five Bentleys – including a Arnage 6.7 T 5 – three Land Cruisers including a Toyota 4.2 Amazon VX 4 Door 4x4, three American speciality vehicles including a Dodge Dart Hemi 426 2 Door Coupe as well as a Ferrari 360 Modena 2 Door Coupe.

Councillor Sonja Crisp, City of York Council’s Cabinet Member with portfolio for Trading Standards, said: “Our Scambuster team has led to Claus being compelled to compensate 19 of his victims a total £44,430.20 from monies confiscated.

"This sale will go towards that compensation and also the £6.4m payback ordered through the Proceeds of Crime Act. Our tenacious investigators work hard to see justice being done and criminals making appropriate amends, which goes towards establishing proper trading standards and public trust in traders."