A PLYMOUTH garage has been cleared of misleading a driver by falsely claiming his car had failed an MoT and needed repairs.

Motor City (Plymouth) Ltd, which has a showroom at Valley Road in Plympton, was being prosecuted by Plymouth City Council for allegedly telling the man he needed to pay to fix his Chevrolet Tacuma.

But when director Ryan Haxby appeared at Plymouth Crown Court yesterday to deny the charge, the prosecution offered no evidence.

Judge Paul Darlow formally acquitted the company and made a defendant's costs order.

It had been claimed the company had engaged in a misleading action by providing untruthful information in claiming the vehicle had failed its test when, in fact, it had already passed.

The result was the customer had spent money they would not have done otherwise, it was alleged.

Outside the court, Mr Haxby told The Herald: "We are a family business and customer satisfaction is our number one aim.

"We are extremely pleased to acknowledge the withdrawal of all allegations by Plymouth City Council, therefore completely exonerating the company of any wrongdoing.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the loyal staff and customers who have supported us throughout this exceptionally difficult time."

A city council spokesman said last night: "A customer contacted us after taking his car to Motor City (Plymouth) Ltd for an MoT and service.

"Motor City subcontracted the MoT testing to another company, but carried out the remedial work itself.

"The customer was told his car had failed its MoT and needed a new washer pump at a cost of around £600.

"When we initially investigated the matter and interviewed a representative of Motor City we found what appeared to be evidence of a criminal act.

"However, on further investigation we were given conflicting information which may have raised questions over the soundness of the prosecution, which is why we made the decision to offer no evidence in court today.

"If it is suspected that an MoT certificate has been issued incorrectly it is the responsibility of Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) to investigate."

No one from VOSA was available for comment yesterday.