Martin Bleasby managed East Coast Motorcycle World in Hutton Cranswick, between Beverley and Driffield, from 2015 until the business, owned by his family, closed down and was liquidated in 2018.

The site was a popular bikers’ destination, serving food and running events and meets for motorcycle enthusiasts. New and used bikes were sold and serviced.

Mr Bleasby appeared at Hull Crown Court at Monday and pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of fraud by false representation.

Martin Bleasby's business East Yorkshire Motorcycle World traded in the village of Hutton Cranswick, pictured, until 2018

The majority of the allegations are that he sold second-hand bikes without passing on a proportion of the proceeds to the previous owners.

Another charge is that one customer, Richard Leon, did not receive a £1,599 motorcycle he had bought from the dealership, while another man, Clifford Letts, accused Bleasby of not providing training sessions worth £649 he had paid for and failing to offer a refund.

The other victims, named by the court as Stephen Ayre; Jonathan Gardner; Kevin Cunliffe; Wayne Culshaw; Thomas Shardlow; Eric Stern; Andrew Heathfield; Samantha Goodge; Alan Roberts and Andrew Emms all allegedly did not receive any money after their used bikes were sold on by Bleasby in 2017 and 2018. The models included Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Moto Guzzi, Lexmoto and KTM.

Bleasby’s defence will rest on his claims that he did not act dishonestly and that issues with payments arose because the company had entered receivership.

He will return to court at the end of the year for a 10-day trial.

After allegations first came to light in the summer of 2018, there were a number of ‘incidents’ at the premises, which had to suspend bike nights and close for two weeks for the safety of staff and customers.

The subsequent permanent closure was blamed on ‘serious threats’ that had been made to the management.

Owner of Yorkshire motorcycle dealership and bikers' cafe to stand trial accused of defrauding customers