Ban in car clocking, LGA says

The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for a ban on mileage correction services, after the latest figures have shown around one in 20 cars are thought to be ‘clocked’.

The data found that around 1.7 million cars on UK roads have had their mileage altered in order to achieve higher purchase prices on vehicles. However, the LGA has warned that the fraudulent action puts many people at risk as a result of safety problems and potentially disguising the need for a major mechanical repair.

It has proposed that companied providing ‘mileage correction’ services should be retained under UK law. Currently it is not illegal to alter a vehicle’s mileage due to a legal loophole.

Councillor Simon Blackburn, chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “Clocking is harming both reputable used car dealers and consumers, and unless the proposed EU ban on mileage correction services is brought forward and made part of UK law, thousands more cars will continue to be clocked over the next two years, jeopardising the safety of cars on UK roads.

“The government needs to address this and introduce legislation to ban the sale of mileage correction devices, which can only be fuelling the big rise in clocking.”