A motor trader has been fined following a Trading Standards investigation into the sale of unroadworthy second hand cars in Norfolk.
Paul Mulford of Norwich, trading as Auto Park Norwich, appeared at Norwich Magistrates Court for sentencing on Thursday (5 February). He was ordered to pay a £500 fine, £200 victim surcharge and £5,000 in prosecution costs.
It follows a trial at Norwich Magistrates Court on 15 December 2025 where Mr Mulford was found guilty by District Judge Bone of the General Product Safety Regulations offence, for supplying a dangerous product (namely a motor vehicle).
Mr Mulford had admitted that he did not carry out sufficient checks before his vehicles were listed on his website or priced on the forecourt.
In sentencing Mr Mulford, District Judge Bone praised Norfolk County Council’s Trading Standards team for their hard work on the investigation.
Councillor Margaret Dewsbury, Cabinet Member for Communities and Partnerships at Norfolk County Council, said: “We were pleased to see the court dealing with Mr Mulford. We receive a high number of complaints about second hand car sales, and it is a problem both in Norfolk and nationally. We regularly work with communities to ensure that where unroadworthy vehicles have been sold, we take firm action to help ensure the future safety of our road users. We would encourage people to raise any concerns about second hand car sales via the Citizen’s Advice Consumer Helpline.”
Trading Standards Officers had visited Auto Park Norwich in 2024 with an expert vehicle examiner as part of a local initiative to inspect vehicles to identify any that were unsafe or dangerous. Checks were also made on the descriptions of the vehicles against information displayed on business selling platforms. Auto Park Norwich was selected for this operation by Norfolk Trading Standards due to the level of complaints previously received regarding vehicles offered for sale from the premises.
Further inspections in 2025 on other businesses
As a result of the 2024 inspections, Trading Standards officers joined forces with Norfolk and Suffolk Constabulary’s Roads Armed Policing Team (RAPT) in 2025 to carry out joint inspections.
These 2025 inspections at locations across Norfolk found that one in three part-worn tyres checked were found to be dangerous and 50% of second-hand cars inspected when offered for sale were found to be unroadworthy.
The first of these joint Trading Standards and Police operations inspected two second-hand car businesses on the safety and roadworthiness of their vehicles, with checks on areas such as accuracy of mileage and MOT validity. Trading Standards officers and RAPT vehicle examiners checked ten vehicles, with just five of them judged to be roadworthy. Some of the areas identified included corrosion to the body work, loose body work, unsecured batteries, no valid MOT certificate, and windows tinted beyond the legal limit.
Officers also visited seven businesses alongside police vehicle examiners to assess 191 part-worn tyres being offered for sale, checking that they met required safety standards and that businesses had taken necessary steps to ensure compliance.
Part-worn tyres are used tyres that have been removed from a vehicle and are being resold for further use on another vehicle. It is illegal to sell part-worn tyres that do not meet specific legal requirements relating to their markings and physical condition.
Only one tyre out of the 191 checked met the legal requirements as to safety and markings, with 69 deemed to be in a dangerous condition. Dangerous faults identified included nails protruding through to the inside of the tyre, cuts exposing the cord, compromised structural rigidity and inadequate repairs.
Trading Standards officers worked with the businesses, to ensure they were compliant with the law after ensuring all identified dangerous cars and tyres had been removed from sale.
Consumers have the right to carry out their own checks on a vehicle before purchasing, and for a small fee can always ask a third party, like the AA or RAC, to carry out an inspection to ensure that what vehicles being considered are safe.
The MOT search function on the Government website allows the public to check the mileage advertised by traders against when MOT assessments have taken place. If you’re purchasing tyres then you should also visit TyreSafe, a charity raising awareness of the importance of correct tyre maintenance, for the safety issues with buying them part-worn and the danger signs to look out for.
