A mobile cafe owner in Bristol lost several hundred pounds in trade over the weekend when his van's generator broke for the second time in three weeks.

Tom Warren, 24, was forced to close during his two busiest days of the week, when an HD generator, the second he had bought from nationwide superstore Machine Mart, broke down within three weeks.

Mr Warren, who runs the sandwich and snack van in Broomhill Road, Brislington, with the help of his mother Claire, bought the first generator from Machine Mart a month ago and this broke down within six days.

He took the machine back to the Lawrence Hill Machine Mart store and it was replaced immediately, but just 12 days later the second generator stopped working as well.

Mr Warren, who has owned the business for seven years, told the Evening Post: "We used to be connected to a factory behind the van but that closed down recently, so we had to buy a generator to power the fridges and the lights.

"I bought a £188 generator from Machine Mart and within six days the fuel from the carburetor bowl started to leak. I took it back and the manager admitted it was a manufacturer's fault, and replaced it with a new one. But 12 days later, the replacement developed the same fault and broke down as well."

Both generators leaked five litres of fuel within one hour. But after the second generator broke down, Machine Mart refused to replace it immediately or refund Mr Warren's money. The company sent the generator off for tests to be carried out, leaving Mr Warren with no means of operating over the busy weekend.

He said: "I tried to explain to the customer services department that I couldn't trade without a generator. But frustratingly, they kept telling me that company policy stated that they could not simply refund or replace the second generator.

"I lost several hundred pounds over the weekend – our busiest time – being next to two big trading estates. I also had to buy another generator from a different company costing me £300 so that I could open this week. I was told by Machine Mart that it would be at least Friday until I hear from them about what the problem is. The problem is obviously a manufacturer's fault, not a problem from my end, yet I was made to pay the price this weekend."

The Evening Post contacted Machine Mart, but a spokesman refused to comment.