Trader caught in police sting

A suspected rogue trader accused of selling dangerous cars has been caught in a police and trading standards sting.

The 30-year-old, of Wolverhampton, believed he was about to offload a Citroen Saxo for £875 to a customer.

But he was instead met by Wolverhampton City Council trading standards officers and police, who had been tracking him for months.

The red Saxo has been towed away amid fears it may not be roadworthy, and the suspect will be interviewed under caution next week.

The action was taken on Friday after a number of complaints about the man, who has not been named.

Peter Calvert, the city council's trading standards manager, said today: "We have been watching him for a while and carried out a test purchase in April.

"It seems he is selling cars as a business without any trading licence.

"That means he's not paying taxes, he is denying customers their consumer rights and the cars are more likely to be unroadworthy.

"While he is selling cars, he is a danger to everyone on the road."

The sting was carried out in Stafford Road, Wolverhampton, close to the Three Tuns roundabout in Oxley, where the Saxo had been parked with a "For Sale" sign for four weeks.

A trading standards officers phoned the man pretending to be a buyer.

"But when he turned up, he was met by police who told him the vehicle was to be inspected and his business dealings were to be investigated.