A DOUBLE-glazing firm was ordered to pay fines and costs of £330,000 for using illegal high-pressure sales tactics such as quoting inflated prices to make discounts look better and falsely claiming offers were time limited.

Zenith Staybrite Ltd was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £250,000 following a prosecution brought by Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards.

The firm pleaded guilty last year to 10 offences under Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations following an investigation which began in Surrey and went on to involve residents around the South East.

Five offences were engaging in an unfair commercial practice by quoting an initial inflated price before applying a number of discounts to give the impression of a bargain.

The other five were engaging in an unfair commercial practice by falsely stating that products would be available at a particular price for a limited time to persuade customers to make an immediate decision.

At Guildford Crown Court last month, Judge Stephen Climie fined Zenith Staybrite, £8,000 for each offence, totalling a £80,000 fine. The firm was also ordered to pay costs of £250,000 and a victim surcharge of £120.