OWNERS of a West Wales limousine firm which had two of its vehicles seized after police allegedly found a "shocking" catalogue of faults in one of the vehicles are appealing for their return.

A limo which had taken sixteen 11-year-old pupils from Five Roads Primary School to Parc Trostre as part of their leaving celebrations had doors which allegedly weren't shutting properly, said police.

An investigation by the police and Vosa, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, discovered that the limo had no MOT, defective brakes, no tachograph records, no operator's licence, no speed limiter, and wheel nuts were missing.

Now the firm, The Full Stretch, is appealing to have its limos back.

Daniel Rosemeyer, who runs the business, said: "They are my vehicles, I suppose they should come back to me. I have spent half a million pounds on these cars. I can't afford for them to be on the yard and not run.

"These vehicles, in Vosa's own words, are safe and insured.

"They are safe to carry them — it's just the MOTs, and everything else is OK, as long as you do it for free.

"But if you charge one pound for the vehicles, it's a death-trap.

"We are just legitimate business people trying to make a living."

He said the new rules governing limos was "trying to fit a square peg into a round hole".

Mr Rosemeyer said three of his vehicles would not comply with the licences available.

Asked about missing wheel nuts and defective brakes, he said there was only one wheel nut missing and the brake problem was down to an ABS sensor which wasn't working.

Five Roads councillor Jim Jones, a governor of the village school, said he was concerned about defects allegedly found by the police.

He said: "When you are taking children you must make sure the vehicles are roadworthy and fit for the children to go in. Until they prove that they can do it they shouldn't have the cars back."

The hearing had been due to take place on Friday before Traffic Commissioner Beverley Dahl, but has since been adjourned to a later date.

A Government spokesman said: "It's not a criminal hearing. It is quasi-judicial. The Traffic Commissioner is the regulator and has the power to revoke licences where companies are not complying with licence requirements."

PC Adrian Hughes, the Roads Policing Unit's intelligence officer, said at the time: "The whole purpose of this legislation is to make our roads safer.

"And this vehicle had quite a shocking range of defects," he added.