A used car salesman has been fined £1,200 for selling cars in a Banbury street.

Andreas Hambis, 43, of Rye Close, pleaded guilty to six offences under consumer protection laws, following an investigation by Oxfordshire County Council's trading standards department.

The offences related to five vehicles he offered for sale, giving the impression he was a private seller, and to a statement on a receipt that attempted to restrict the buyer's rights.

Hambis was fined £200 for each offence and ordered to pay £578 in legal costs and a £15 victim surcharge - a total of £1,793 – at Banbury Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

Judith Heathcoat, the council's cabinet member for community safety, said: “We're very pleased with this outcome, which we feel sends a strong message to anyone who thinks that by taking their business to the streets they can dodge important regulations designed to protect consumers.”

Nigel Strick, head of the trading standards department, added: “It's important for people to remember that if a vehicle is sold as part of a business, the buyer has certain legal rights should a fault be found or develop on the vehicle.

“In these circumstances, phrases such as ‘sold as seen’ must be viewed as an attempt to deny the customer those rights and should only be used by a private seller.”

Street sales of cars have caused concern across the county, with reports of problems in parts of Oxford, Abingdon and Didcot.