A TRUCK dealership and its staff have been ordered by a court to hand over more than nine times the money they got for selling a van in a dangerous condition.

Ben Buck Commercials Ltd advertised the Ford Transit van as having 12 months’ MOT and one previous owner, said Victoria Waudby, for City of York Council.

Only after a Hull businessman had bought it for £1,000 did he discover that its MOT had run out 10 months before the sale, it had had at least two previous owners - and that it was corroded and damaged and its brakes were so faulty it was unsafe to drive.

Ben Buck Commercials Ltd of Malton Road, York, its owner and director Benjamin Buck, 43, of Boroughbridge Road, York, and salesman Ashley Wright, 23, of Bellwood Drive, Foxwood, all pleaded guilty to selling a vehicle in an unroadworthy condition and two charges of misleading advertising at York Magistrates' Court.

The company was fined £4,500 with a £170 statutory surcharge and ordered to pay £4,020 costs, the owner was fined £294 and the salesman £190. Both men were each ordered to pay a £30 statutory surcharge. Altogether the orders handed out by York magistrates totalled £9,234.

Solicitor for all three, Sally Howard, said they had not intended to deceive the businessman and selling a faulty vehicle had been a one off mistake that would not be repeated.

Mrs Waudby said the company had refunded the businessman, but only after he had got a county court judgement against them and threatened to use bailiffs to enforce the judgement.

He had had to chase the company after he bought the van to provide the V5 document so that he could register the change of ownership and had initially been unable to put it in for an MOT because the vehicle identification numbers on it had been removed.

Mrs Howard said they had been taken off when the vehicle was resprayed and mistakenly not reinstated.

Senior councillor Ann Reid said: “We work with local car dealerships to ensure they understand and execute their legal responsibilities. While the majority in York do comply, we will take action against those that don’t.”