A KENT car dealership has been fined £9,000 for falsely describing work done on cars submitted for routine servicing.

The company, Whitehouse (South London) Limited, operators of Whitehouse Renault at Sovereign Way, Tonbridge, was convicted at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court. The firm was also ordered to pay £1,500 costs.

The prosecution was brought by Kent County Council trading standards officers after they submitted three cars for servicing over a period of a year. Officers monitored work carried out on the cars, and on each occasion the vehicle was not serviced as claimed.

Basic checks on lights, wiper blades and seat belts were overlooked. The magistrates felt the case showed that the quality and service expected by the public when going to a main dealer was "sadly lacking".

In court, Whitehouse said a new checklist and work practices had been introduced to ensure that such problems did not occur again.

The firm operates 37 main dealerships in London and the South East, of which the Tonbridge branch is one.