A car dealer is facing charges of lying to customers about the number of miles on the clock of vehicles in his showrooms.

Farman Tayebi, who owns Direct Car Sales branches in New Malden and Croydon, appeared at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday, June 17 to face 10 unfair trading standard counts against him and 10 against his company.

The dealer, who lives in Putney, has been accused of misleading customers with false information and engaging in reckless commercial practice.

In one of the charges, Mr Tayebi is alleged to have sold a used PeugeotRCZ  that had travelled 77,627 miles to a customer who was told it had only driven 37,000 miles in May last year.

The charges date from June 16, 2012, to April 28, 2014, and include trading offences allegedly committed by Mr Tayebi or the company at its Coombe Road, Croydon, or Burlington Road, New Malden branches.

Mr Tayebi, of Putney Bridge Road, Putney, was not asked to enter a plea at his first court appearance this week.

He was given bail and told to return to Kingston Crown Court to enter a plea on September 2.

Last year Mr Tayebi bought a piece of scrubland from Kingston Council - a 0.53 acre site at the end of Rookwood Avenue, New Malden, where he had hoped to expand his dealership.

He had cut down some trees and started work on the designated "green corridor" site in attempt to get it ready for a planning application he had submitted to create a "private car park store".

The planning application was later rejected by Merton Council.