A local resident is warning other drivers after his vehicle sustained £1,500 of damage in a Wells car wash.

Carl Oaks said that the car wash at the Esso Garage in Chamberlain Street broke down and he was stuck in his vehicle for 10 minutes, as well as the machinery causing damage.

However, Euro Garages, who run the petrol station on behalf of Esso, say that the damage was caused by customer actions and they were not liable for the damage.

Mr Oaks told Wells Nub News: "Earlier this month, I used the car wash at Esso Wells.

"During the wash, the roller stopped on my bonnet, and I heard a loud thud and shunt at the front. The machine had malfunctioned.

"The attendant came over after 10 minutes as I couldn't get out the car, and she thought it was traffic noise honking rather than me. She made a signed statement, and noted the machine stated out of order.

"A few days later after nobody contacting me, and after I'd sent them quotes for the repairs bill - they eventually got back to me, and said it was my fault.

"If it's possible to damage a car wash and for it to malfunction, by supposed alignment of an individual, then should the public take the risk?"

In response, the Euro Garages group communications manager Mohammed Bhikha said: "We take all customer complaints very seriously.

"An independent review has found that EG Group is not liable for the damage. By way of additional detail, an engineer was called out following the incident, and the report subsequently produced shows that the damage was caused by customer actions.

"The signed statement which the customer refers to was simply a record that an incident had taken place on the site.

"It does not include any confirmation that the car wash was faulty or that EG Group accepts liability, and our records show that there have been no other issues with the car wash since the beginning of this year, during which time more than 250 washes have taken place."