CHECKS by safety specialists have discovered that one in seven cars on the forecourts of some second-hand car dealers in the county were unroadworthy.

Would-be buyers are now being urged to have potential purchases checked by independent experts before they hand over money.

The checks were carried out by trading standards officials and officers from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (Vosa).

They involved visits to garage forecourts in the Hambleton and Richmondshire areas, where safety checks were carried out on the vehicles on sale.

Twenty-seven vehicles were checked and four were found to be unroadworthy to such an extent that they were given prohibition notices by Vosa officers.

The notice demands that the vehicle is made roadworthy and passes an MOT before it is sold.

The county's executive member for trading standards, Councillor John Fort, said yesterday that the results underlined the need for caution and independent checks by buyers.

He said: "While it must be accepted that these were older and cheaper vehicles, which have a higher probability of being unroadworthy, it is nevertheless worrying to see that around one in seven were in such a poor state.

"North Yorkshire is a rural county, where people often have to have their own transport in order to get around.

"If people's income is such that they have to buy cheaper and older vehicles, then those garages selling them should ensure they are safe.

"We would always advise consumers to have a vehicle independently examined before agreeing to buy it, in order to ensure that it is in a reasonable condition."