Denmead firm ordered to pay £13,400 in Britain's first prosecution over diesel filters

European Exhaust and Catalyst Ltd, based in Denmead, was ordered to pay nearly £14,000 after admitting three charges over poorly labelled diesel particulate filters.

These parts catch and store soot in an attempt to reduce emissions from diesel cars.

The company, an emissions products manufacturer supplying goods across Europe, was prosecuted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and ordered to pay £3,000 in fines and £10,460 in costs at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court.

It comes after the DVSA’s market surveillance unit checked vehicles and their parts elsewhere in the country to make sure they comply with safety and environmental regulations.

The investigation uncovered diesel particulate filters that ‘did not have the correct markings for this specification’.

Managing director Paul Clark said the company had admitted a ‘minor labelling infringement’.