A GARAGE owner has been jailed for issuing fraudulent MOT certificates to car owners.

Preston Crown Court heard an investigation by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency discovered Noor Hussain was running the scam from Altham MOT Centre, in Livingston Road, Accrington.

During a trial the jury saw video evidence showing cars leaving the test bay after times of between just seven and 11 minutes, on average.

An expert witness told the court that normally an MOT test should take around 45 minutes.

Hussain was found guilty by a unanimous verdict and was yesterday jailed for six months and ordered to pay £60,000 in costs.

VOSA, the Government agency which monitors Britain’s 20,000 MOT test centres, carried out the investigation which it said uncovered many ‘serious’ offences including issuing eight fraudulent MOT certificates.

In one case, an MOT certificate was issued yet the car had not been on the premises at all.

The court also heard that, over a four month period, 2,463 vehicles were given an MOT at Mr Hussain’s garage, yet none failed. The average failure rate in Britain during that period for an MOT was 32 per cent.

Alex Fiddes, VOSA’s Operations Director, said: “This sentence is the culmination of a thorough and professional investigation by VOSA staff.

“The jury's unanimous decision to convict Mr Hussain of eight counts of fraudulently issuing MOT certificates and the sentence of six months in prison sends a clear message to a small minority in the MOT industry.

“If you choose to cheat and defraud the motorist, and put their safety at risk, then the full force of the law will be brought to bear on you.”