Trading standards officers have exposed a car parking scam aimed at conning people flying from Gatwick Airport.

West Sussex County Council Trading Standards Service took action after receiving complaints about a company which offered secure parking for airport users.

The company, Gatwick Secure Parking, operated a website which claimed: “Secure parking, six foot high fencing, and lockable gates.” After receiving consumer complaints, trading standards officers wrote to the website operator, Resat Gundogdu, a restaurateur whose premises are in Peterhouse Parade, Pound Hill, Crawley, about the claims being made on the website.

When they saw the claims were still being made, the officers decided to carry out a ‘test purchase’ with a car of their own.

Over three days in January, they found their car remained in the same position with the same mileage reading outside the general parking area at Peterhouse Parade.

At Crawley Magistrates Court on November 16, Mr Gundogdu was sentenced to 140 hours community service after pleading guilty to an offence under the Fraud Act 2006.

He was also ordered to pay the Trading Standards Service's costs of £836.

Henry Smith, West Sussex County Council leader, said: “This is another example of our trading standards officers' determination to protect the interests of consumers who live, work or visit our county.”