THE British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association says hire firms should not all be tarred with the same brush after trading standards officers questioned the safety of many hired vans on a county's roads. Spot checks on eight vans from smaller independent rental businesses in Warwickshire revealed six vehicles with worn tyres and other faults.

One firm was prosecuted for having a badly worn nearside rear tyre and ordered to pay a £500 fine and £500 costs to Warwickshire County Council. Noel Hunter, Warwickshire county trading standards officer, said: 'The results of our survey confirmed our worries over the roadworthiness of many vans offered for hire.'

But the BVRLA said the reputation of the industry as a whole should not be damaged by a small number who flouted the law. A spokesman said: 'A number of these tests have been carried out and we welcome them. We carry out spot checks on our members and come down very hard and quickly on anyone breaking the rules. 'It serves to reinforce the message that using BVRLA members gives you an assurance of quality. We are anxious to protect the good name of the rental industry by promoting good practices. One of the problems is that we all get tarred with the same brush.'