New life is set to be breathed into a derelict garage which was shut down last month for operating as a popular but illegal hand car wash business.

The site on at the junction of Penn Road and Goldthorn Hill, is to open next month as a family business and returned to its former glory as a car sales garage.

And the land’s new bosses have pledged to give the run down building, thought to have been used by homeless people, a new look before they open their doors.

For the last three years the site has been run as a car wash without the permission of Wolverhampton City Council.

Motorists flocked to use the car wash and were regularly seen queuing right around the block to get their vehicles scrubbed clean.

But it was shut it down at the end of January after council bosses threatened to prosecute the owners because it operated without planning permission.

Earlier this month it was put up for let by city property firm DBP Property Management.

Within a few days it was off the market and now 25- year-old Brett Archer, from Birmingham New Road says he hopes his car business will open on March 17.

The former Carcraft worker said: “It will be a family run used car garage. We will clean it up and sand it down and hopefully it will look really good. We can’t wait to get started.”

By Helen Cartwright