Row over car boot sales loophole

Car boot sales in Staffordshire are being run like "industrial market places", with some operators exploiting a loophole in the law to double the number of events held at each site, it emerged today.

Inspections of all 14 car boots across South Staffordshire have found two operators, including one in Wombourne, suspected of breaking rules restricting them to 14 days a year.

Others in the area regularly cause havoc, with residents complaining of being trapped in their homes by traffic tailbacks.

A loophole in the law means some operators have been holding events under separate licences for adjacent fields, meaning they can effectively double the number of sales held in a year.

South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson today called for a tougher crackdown on those bending the rules.

"There is a weakness in the law that means multiple sites in a small area can be used by the same operator, but in my eyes that means it's really just one site and should be treated at such," he said. "These are multi-million pound businesses, run like industrial market places," he added.

Operators exploiting the loophole now face enforcement action that may see their planning permission to hold sales revoked.