Garage owner jailed for dangerous car repair

The sentence follows an investigation by Warrington Trading Standards

Garage owner jailed for dangerous car repair
Photo: Google Street View

The owner of a garage in Warrington has been jailed for supplying a vehicle in an unsafe condition and misleading a customer.

Lee Hill, owner of Performance North West Ltd, agreed to fit a new exhaust to a car at a cost of £1,500.

The customer collected the car two weeks later and embarked on a 200-mile journey. Noticing what she thought was steam coming out of the car, she stopped at a motorway services to see fuel pouring out from beneath the car.

A breakdown recovery mechanic arrived to discover that the exhaust was positioned directly below the fuel tank, and the heat had melted a six-inch hole in the plastic tank.

Hill agreed to repair the exhaust and fit a new fuel tank, but the customer discovered that he only repaired the old one.

Appearing at Liverpool Crown Court following an investigation by Warrington Trading Standards, Hill pleaded guilty to a charge of supplying an unsafe product and another of misleading the consumer.

He was sentenced to 12 months for the first charge and eight for the second.

David Boyer, director of environment and transport at Warrington Borough Council, said: “Our trading standards team welcomes complaints that they can investigate. Consumer safety is of the highest importance to ensure we protect the public from unsafe and dangerous practices.”

Source: Warrington Borough Council

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