Wiesloch, Germany - A German judge has ordered a Volvo dealer to compensate a man with big feet because there was not enough space around his new car's accelerator pedal, a court spokesman said Monday.

The man, a travelling salesman, sought and won a 5-per-cent reduction in the price of his Volvo C70 coupe by arguing that his leather shoes, European size 47 for a foot
29.4 centimetres long, did not fit beneath the dashboard.

Under a court-supervised settlement, the buyer obtained a 1,700- euro (2,650-dollar) refund to pay for a snug pair of sneakers that just fitted into the space, as well as his time changing back into street shoes each time he got out of the car to meet clients.

A judge in the court at Wiesloch in Baden-Wuerttemberg state said size 47 was not abnormally large and the Swedish-made car should have catered for big feet. (dpa)