PRACTICAL Car and Van Rental has closed one its centres after a hire car was found to be in such a poor condition it would have failed an MoT. The branch in Walsall, West Midlands, was the subject of an undercover RAC inspection and a P-reg Citroen Saxo was hired.

When the vehicle came under scrutiny an RAC examiner found the car's front tyre tread was illegal, the wiper blades were split, the battery wasn't fixed properly, there was no wheel brace and there was evidence of an oil leak. As soon as this evidence was presented to Practical's managing director, Bolton Agnew, the centre was closed.

He said: 'I took the decision and immediate action to close the location. We carry out spot checks and 'mystery shops' ourselves on a regular basis and this particular branch had been visited twice in the year with no faults being found. It was bad luck really.'