Roadside car sale crackdown in Bristol
A new campaign has started in Bristol to warn people of the dangers of buying cars sold at the roadside.
Trading standards says the sellers are often in the car trade but pose as private individuals trying to offload cars which may not be roadworthy.
It followed an operation in which four cars being offered for sale in Easton were found to be owned by dealers.
"We are confident they were all dealers trying to escape their legal responsibilities," a spokeswoman said.
"We want consumers to know that they are taking a huge risk when they buy a car in this way.
"There is no guarantee that the car is roadworthy. The seller often only provides a mobile number and the buyer has few rights or ways back.
"Cars constantly for sale on the roadside can also blight an area and lead to complaints from residents and reputable car traders," the trading standards spokeswoman added.
Councillor Guy Poultney, from Bristol City Council, said: "These companies are abusing free on-street parking to lower their costs, and undercut legitimate traders.
"Some cars sold on the road side have previously been written off by insurance companies and since repaired, but the customer doesn't know this and by the time you find out, there's no comeback."