THE Department of Trade and Industry has joined the fleet industry's battle to end car clocking by setting up a new database to contain all vehicle mileages. Cars will have their mileages recorded at every service or MoT test and these will be filed on a database at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, where it will be available to future buyers.

The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association has welcomed the move, which will reinforce its own database run by Vehicle Mileage Check, which was established in 1995 to gather fleet cars' end-of-contract mileage. This has attracted support from all of the major contract hire companies, including GE Capital Fleet Services and Lex Vehicle Leasing, and it now contains mileage details on 1.5 million cars.

Norman Donkin, director general of the BVRLA, said: 'This has proved to be a powerful weapon in the battle to stamp out clocking. We took the initiative, and now welcome the Government's. The more mileages going on to a database the better for everyone. By taking the mileages at servicing and MoT points the information should prove to be very reliable.'