POLICE were called to a Hampshire hotel after a controversial car dealer was using its car park to store vehicles.

Richard Burbage and Stan Rudgley were spotted at Macdonald Botley Park Hotel with two large lorries and admitted they had moved cars away from the hotel.

The pair are at the centre of a Trading Standards investigation into their former car business in Southampton that closed suddenly earlier this year amid complaints it was selling faulty cars.

They were accompanied at the hotel by several men in overalls who spent around an hour with the lorries before moving one out of the car park.

Police confirmed they were called to the Botley hotel to investigate a breach of the peace but left without taking action and said all they found was a “civil matter”.

It comes weeks after the pair were seen in a Sainsbury's car park in Fareham examining a number of abandoned cars, which had orange penalty notices on their windscreens issued by Fareham Borough Council.

When confronted by the Daily Echo in Botley, Mr Burbage said Mr Rudgley was moving cars but would not comment further.

He said: “There's no problem here. Mr Rudgley had some cars here and he moved them. That's it.”

It is unknown who called the police but a hotel spokesman denied it was any of their staff and said there was no problem as far as the hotel was concerned.

The spokesman said: “The police came and went and there was no issue. Everything was moved and there was no confrontation.”

When the Echo asked the manager whether the hotel knew the cars were there or had any problem with the pair using the car park to store vehicles he refused to comment and ended the call.

As reported, Mr Burbage and Mr Rudgley have been linked to firms that closed down following fury over faulty cars they were selling.

Woolston Car Supermarket's closure prompted dozens of angry customers to demand refund cheques, which eventually bounced.

And at the hotel Mr Burbage gave no indication that any money would be repaid to customers but denied any wrongdoing.

When the customers returned to the Hazel Road showroom it was deserted with complaint letters strewn around outside.

The company actually moved 12 miles down the road to Fareham under a new name of Fort Wallington Car Sales run by Mr Rudgley, who had previously said he severed ties with Mr Burbage after the collapse of Woolston Car Supermarket.

Mr Burbage, 40, allegedly owes 11m Australian dollars to hundreds of people after the demise of his firm, We Buy Any Car, in Australia, which copied the name of the successful British online car seller but has no connection to that firm.

Trading Standards continue to investigate claims surrounding Woolston Car Supermarket and a second business called Fort Wallington Car Sales.

They have described it as one of the biggest cases of its kind in decades and so far are dealing with cases of more than 60 customers.

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