A ruthless Wood Green travel agent who swindled £50,000 from customers has had his knuckles rapped by the law - but is still allowed to continue trading.

Majid Mian, owner of Links International, in Turnpike Lane, took more than 60 customers to the cleaners who paid up for airline tickets which never arrived.

Mian, 62, from Haringey, appeared before Central London County Court on September 13, following an investigation led by Haringey Trading Standards Department.

He was served with an eight-year enforcement order which bans him from harming customers by taking money for tickets and failing to provide them. He faces jail if he breaks the order.

However, it is unlikely any of his duped customers will ever see their money again.

The court heard Mian unlawfully pocketed £50,000 over a two-year period.

Trading Standards stepped in following a barrage of complaints and worked with police and the Insolvency Service to pool intelligence to bring Mian to court.

Mian had earlier signed an undertaking to Trading Standards he would mend his ways, but after a brief period of improvement, complaints began again.

In court, Mian told the judge he did not intend to trade again, and had shut down his premises.

Meanwhile, the Insolvency Service continue to look into Mian's affairs to see whether any money can be recovered and paid back to customers.

Meraj Ahmed, 62, and his wife Dilshad, 57, of Allington Avenue, Tottenham, lost £590 after booking two tickets to Karachi which never arrived.

The couple spent weeks complaining but to no avail. They lost out on their holiday and savings, and claim the stress caused Mr Ahmed to suffer a heart attack.

Mr Ahmed, who is currently battling cancer, said: "It was very stressful. I lost count of how many times I went to Mian's shop to complain, and I wasn't the only one.

"I once saw a woman who had lost £800, crying outside his premises.

He added: "We might never see our money again, but at least now Mian won't be able to do to other people what he did to us.

"My only frustration is it took Trading Standards and police two years to catch up with him."

Cllr Nilgun Canver, executive member for crime and community safety, said: "It has been tricky, and there is no guarantee clients will get their money back, but I pledge we will continue to do what we can to halt these rogue practices and seek justice for consumers."