KIA has suspended deliveries of its new king-size supermini the Venga due to a seatbelt fault.

A risk that the lower section of the front seatbelts could become damaged by contact with the lower seat mounting rail was identified during crash testing.

As a result the company, Kia Motors (UK) Ltd, immediately suspended delivery of the 450 vehicles destined for customers, contacted the owners of the only four Venga models to have left showrooms and has already conducted the required modification.

Kia says that across Europe only 1,161 cars destined for or delivered to customers have been affected, and that no reports of the potential problem have been received from customers.

Kia's UK boss Michael Cole said: "The protection of our customers is our top-most priority and we will undertake whatever action is required to ensure that.

"We immediately suspended deliveries and have asked our dealers to carry out the modification which involves fitting a protective sleeve to the belts and takes around 15 minutes."

Any customers with concerns should contact Kia's Customer Services on 0845 601 7521.