A Southampton-based car sales business has been hit with an £8,177 fine after ignoring planning restrictions and continuing to operate on a site where permission had been refused, according to reports in Southern Daily Echo.

DSG Car Sales Ltd (DSG) was found guilty at Southampton Magistrates Court for breaching an enforcement notice after it failed to comply with planning conditions set by Southampton City Council.

The company had been operating from Itchen Business Park without planning permission and sought retrospective approval in 2021. While permission was granted with conditions to limit the size of delivery vehicles, the firm repeatedly breached these restrictions. In response, a new planning application in 2022 was rejected, and DSG was warned that continued operations would lead to an enforcement notice.

In November 2022, DSG was ordered to cease trading from the site and remove any related equipment. However, the company appealed the refusal and enforcement notice—both of which were dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate in January 2024, giving DSG four months to vacate the premises.

Council officers visiting the site in May 2024 found DSG still trading in breach of the enforcement notice. As a result, the firm was summoned to court on February 20, where its directors, Geralt and Sheridan Xhebexhia, pleaded guilty on behalf of the company.

With the guilty plea, DSG received a £5,200 fine, along with £977 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge. Southampton City Council confirmed that the directors now hold a criminal conviction.