This shocking footage taken from a dashboard camera shows a Halfords mechanic taking a customer’s car for a joyride – at almost DOUBLE the speed limit.
Shaun Ingram booked his Ford Focus ST in for a major service and MOT costing £255 at a Halfords Autocentre last month.
But when he got his car back he discovered the mechanic had taken it for a speedy spin after his camera recorded footage of it being driven 57 mph in a 30 mph zone.
Halfords said the mechanic was a temporary employee at its branch in Plymouth, Devon, who was removed from his role when the footage came to light.
The company described his behaviour as “appalling” and offered to refund the cost for the MOT and service.
Shaun, 50, of Saltash, Cornwall, said his camera was in plain sight on the windscreen and it recorded almost seven hours of footage including the mechanic swearing and talking about test-driving the car.
He said: “When I saw the footage I was left open-mouthed. The mechanic was abusing my car and my trust.
“As a nationwide company I thought I had nothing to worry about. But I feel very let down.
“From now on I will always wait by the car whilst it is being serviced.”
Shaun, who is married to Mandy, 50, and has three children, Kathryn, 26, Claire, 23, and Zenna, 15, works as a LGV assessor for Dairy Crest.
He said the dashboard camera was not switched but was on standby mode on a motion sensor.
He said: “I was not trying to catch anybody out. I bought the camera- ironically – from a Halfords store in Plymouth last year.
“I have it in for road safety purposes because of the way some people drive.
“I did not look at the footage on the Friday afternoon when I picked the car up.
“I saw it the next day and I almost choked on my pasty. The biggest file on there was the road test where the mechanic was doing nearly twice the speed limit.
“I then decided to look at all the footage. There was one clip of him reversing the car off the MOT bay and leaning over to tell a colleague ‘you wait til I road test this later.’
“That shows that it was something that was pre-planned and not a spur of the moment thing when he was driving my car.
“There is another clip of him constantly swearing when he can’t find the key sensor.
“I have not been given his name and I don’t need to know unless I get a speeding ticket.
“There is no point getting really angry about it. But it is fair to say I was open-mouthed when I saw the footage.
“I took the laptop in on the Monday morning and the manager was very non-plus when I showed him the footage.
“Had he apologised then I would have left it. But I have now spoken with the head office and the regional manager and still not received an apology. At least they have started to take it more seriously though.
“I look after my car – it is my biggest asset and cost me nearly #10,000 and it is disgusting that someone like him treats it like this.
“I would never have known about it if I did not have the camera. I did not know it would pick it up but it has proved to be well worth the money,”
The regional manager for Halfords Autocentres, Darren Stone, told Shaun in an email that the mechanic’s behaviour was unacceptable.
He said: “He drove your car in what I can only describe as an appalling manner.
“I do not and will never condone that level of pure neglect which is why the mechanic in question has been removed from working within the Halfords Autocentre Group.”
A spokesperson for Halfords head office said: “We are looking into the full details of the incident and will deal with this issue internally as a matter of urgency to ensure this type of incident does not occur again in the future.”
