UK law firm launches legal action against Volkswagen

Law firm Harcus Sinclair has taken up the plight of British drivers affected by the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal, and is launching legal action in an attempt to get compensation.

Some 1.2 million British vehicles, including Audis, Skodas and Seats, were affected by the scandal, in which software was fitted to the vehicles to enable them to cheat emissions tests.

Last year, judges in the US approved a £12 billion settlement with each affected owner set to receive up to £8,000. Vokswagen is yet to offer compensation to owners in the UK.

Damon Parker, head of litigation at Harcus Sinclair, said he felt drivers felt they had "no choice but to take legal action".

"The group action aims to ensure that, if VW is found to have misled consumers about the environmental damage caused by their cars, they are penalised accordingly so as to discourage this sort of behaviour from happening again.”