The DVLA has swooped on a Bradford taxi firm that doubles up as a car sales forecourt.

Yesterday, agency enforcement officers put stickers on 12 cars parked up outside Girlington Taxis in Girlington Road and were at the scene for more than four hours checking if those vehicles should have road tax.

The day before, they had seized two untaxed cars worth £3,000 belonging to taxi boss Asif Shah that were parked opposite the business in the car park of the now shut Girlington pub.

Mr Shah, who claims he had permission to use the pub’s private land for overspill from the landlord before it closed, says there has been a mix-up.

“We have been paying our taxes as a business to the Council but it seems we have only been paying as a taxi office. The Council has not assessed us, it seems, for the forecourt according to the DVLA so there's been a mix-up and we need to get it sorted out – it's between us and the Council now. We honestly thought we had everything covered. "We've had to pay another £3,200 for them not to take the 12 cars on our forecourt away and have been told if we buy tax for them now we can get some of that money back," he said.

Girlington Taxis has been running for more than 25 years and has been operating as a used car sales trade centre for the past seven months.