VICTIMS of two North-East businessmen who fled with customers' cash claim their complaints to trading standards officers were ignored.

Gary Upson and his son Ryan are being investigated by Durham Police's fraud squad after disappearing from their horse box business, Just Trucks, in Darlington.

Before they vanished, customers complained to trading standards departments across the country, including in Darlington, about the pair's failure to deliver vehicles.

But because the complaints were judged to be a civil matter, trading standards officers were unable to get involved.

Customers were told the best thing to do was contact a solicitor and pursue their claim through the courts.

But victims are now questioning why the volume of complaints did not prompt Darlington trading standards department to investigate.

Angela Greensitt, from Wakefield, who gave £8,000 and a part-exchange lorry worth £7,000 to the Upsons for a horse box she never received, said: "When I phoned Darlington trading standards they just said 'you have got to phone your local office in West Yorkshire'.

"When I told West Yorkshire I had a solicitor they said there was nothing they could do.

"But you would think that there would be a system which meant that wherever you complained, the trading standards department in the town where the company was based would be told.

"That way they would have realised the problem was countrywide."

Michelle Thomas contacted York trading standards after paying an £11,000 deposit and not getting her wagon.

She said: "They said we were to contact our solicitor or the police."

Joanna Wiggins, from Lincoln, gave the Upsons a £5,000 deposit for a horse wagon.

She rang Darlington trading standards and was referred to Lincoln who told her to write to Just Trucks requesting her deposit back. The Upsons disappeared shortly afterwards.

Another woman, who asked not to be named, said she alerted trading standards in Redcar because the Upsons owed her £7,000.

"They said 'it's nothing to do with us, it's a civil matter'. I knew lots of people in the same situation and I got everybody to report it to their local trading standards offices.

"They did and they still did nothing because they were all in different areas. I said 'can you not get together?'"

However, Dorothy Bell, from Neasham, near Darlington, said trading standards officers in Darlington gave her good advice which helped her make a successful civil claim after the Upsons botched a respraying job on her lorry.

Tony Northcote, a spokesman for the Trading Standards Institute, which represents trading standards officers, said they could only investigate criminal complaints and give advice on civil matters.

A spokeswoman for trading standards in Darlington said it had received nine calls about Just Trucks between June 2002 and 2004.

Seven were from outside the area and the callers were told to contact their local trading standards. The other two were from Darlington, one of which was received after the Upsons had disappeared.

She added that advice in cases of this nature would be to take the matter to the civil court for recovery of the money.

The spokeswoman also urged people to be very cautious about paying large sums of money up front, particularly in cash.