A used car dealer who doctored MOT certificate and sales invoice in an attempt to cover his sale of a severely-corroded car as an “excellent all-round” vehicle has been jailed for six months.

Tanvir Shah, boss of Burton-based TV Shah, advertised the Chevrolet Matiz hatchback as "excellent all round", describing that it "drives like new" when in reality it was severely corroded and later failed an MOT.

After selling the vehicle to an unsuspecting buyer, the 70-year-old, of Leicester Street, Burton, changed the description of the car on the used car sales invoice to "sold as seen, spares and runner only" and removed advory details from a photocopied version of the MOT certificate handed to the new owner, the Burton Mail reported.

Shah refunded most of the money after Trading Standards became involved in the case but then advertised the same car for sale again, claiming it had eight months MOT.

Warwickshire County Council took the case to court following a complaint from a victim who purchased the vehicle.

Shah pleaded guilty to one offence under the Fraud Act and one offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations at a hearing at Nuneaton Magistrates' Court.

Shah's defence stated that he had been in the motor trade for 40 years and he had expressed remorse for his actions.

However, magistrates said Shah’s offences had involved a level of planning and had resulted in the sale of a vehicle which posed a threat to all road users.