850 NCT certs stolen for use on 'unsafe' vehicles

Car buyers are being warned to be on the look-out for used cars being sold with fake NCT certificates, after more than 850 of the certs were stolen in Co Louth.

The documents were stolen in a raid on the NCT test centre in Drogheda.

Motorcheck.ie said the certificates could be used to mislead potential buyers into buying "unsafe and dangerous" cars which fail to meet minimum safety standards

"It's very difficult to know, because even though we call them 'fake' they're actually printed on valid paper, so they will carry all the necessary seals," said Shane Teskey from Motorcheck.

"The only way specifically to indentify them is by comparing that NCT Certificate number against the registration number for the car."