ROGUE second hand car dealers and dodgy garages are being targeted by trading standards.

The service across Somerset and Devon - which receives more than 2,000 complaints about used vehicles and servicing every year - has inspected 56 forecourts, garages and traders selling used tyres since last April.

Officers also booked a car into garages offering free safety checks to test if defects reported by the trader were genuine.

They have: •Visited 18 forecourts, with 13 cars withdrawn from sale.

•Inspected 38 premises selling part-worn tyres - 23 had inadequate documentation and 14 had non-compliant labelling, while 13 partly worn tyres with structural defects were found and withdrawn from sale.

•Submitted a car to 13 garages offering free safety checks - 12 passed, but one returned the vehicle in an unsatisfactory condition following work on the brakes.

The service has signed up to the Buy with Confidence scheme, which shows a trader operates within the law, and one of its officers has been appointed to the Used Car Commission.

Paul Thomas, head of Devon and Somerset Trading Standards Service, said: “The new provisions of the Consumer Rights Act provide an opportunity for improved levels of consumer satisfaction but this will only be achieved if both traders and consumers are aware of, and understand, their rights and obligations.”

Cllr David Hall, deputy leader of Somerset County Council, said: "Looking for traders that have signed up to relevant codes of practice, or buying from a BWC member should help consumers avoid unnecessary problems.

"BWC members have been audited by trading standards officers and consumers can be assured that their trading practices are honest and fair.”