Heavy fine for car lot owners

It follows a string of complaints about the Budget Car Company to Rother District Council by village residents.

The used car company caused problems by restricting the width of the road and blocking the flow of traffic through the village.

Residents also complained about the garage having two or more vehicles for sale on the public highway.

In September 2010, planning enforcement officers served an enforcement notice in relation to the cars being sold on a piece of land the Budget Car Company didn’t have permission to use.

Two breaches of the notice were identified by Rother officers and brought before Hastings magistrates.

The Budget Car Company had also previously been found guilty of the parking issues and was fined under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 in November 2011.

Investigations by Rother District Council’s environmental health department staff then identified further breaches. They had also been issued with two fixed penalty notices for the offences.

The company, which did not attend court, was fined £20,000 for the two planning breaches with a further £2,500 in respect of the selling of cars on the highway. Additionally they were ordered to pay £2,500 in court costs.

The garage has recently ceased trading in Sedlescombe.