YOU never know what you might find at a car boot sale. That is their appeal.

Every weekend thousands of thrifty Yorkshire folk trek to windswept fields to rummage through boxes of junk in the hope of finding something special.

Occasionally, the bargain-hunter is rewarded. A brooch bought for £2.50 at a sale in Watford was valued at £6,000 last month.

But the unregulated nature of this form of shopping leaves buyers exposed. No one knows the provenance of the goods. Designer clothes stolen from Victoria Beckham were destined for a car boot sale, had they not been intercepted. Bootleg alcohol and cigarettes are often sold from the back of a hatchback.

Consumers buying from a car boot sale forfeit many of their rights. This is a world free of money-back guarantees. Shoppers cannot even be sure they will ever see the vendor again.

York's trading standards department was among the first to investigate car boot sales. When officers began their inquiries two years ago, they found 40 per cent of "car booters" were commercial traders.

Often they were offloading defective goods they could not sell at a shop. As our Consumer Matters page tonight reveals, some of these items are potentially dangerous.

Thanks to the attentions of trading standards, fewer professional retailers are pitching up at car boot sales. But it still pays to be aware that different rules apply here.

In other words, be wary. The best advice is to check the goods for faults before you buy. If you are in any doubt, do not hand over your money.

Car boot sales can be great fun and a wonderful place to find bargains.

Just keep an eye open for the rip-off merchants.

Updated: 10:05 Thursday, August 23, 2001