News Room

‘Money for Money’s Worth?’ - £Billions worth of consumer spending underpinned by the work of Trading Standards in Scotland

Posted: 18/09/2019

One of Scotland’s basic consumer rights is the right to buy goods, and for those goods to be fairly and accurately weighed or measured by the seller. Local council Trading Standards services provide confidence in the long-established UK system of measurement that is the most basic and essential element in any transaction – money for money’s worth.

Trading Standards in Scotland act to drive consumer complaints about motor cars off the number 1 spot

Posted: 17/09/2019

Consumer complaints about second-hand cars have topped the complaints “league table” in Scotland for many years. Common problems include mechanical issues, misdescribed cars and history. Local authority Trading Standards services tackle the issues in partnership with Advice Direct Scotland, giving advice, carrying out investigations and taking action to protect motorists.

Unacceptable level of sales of tobacco and vaping products to young people across Scotland is tackled by Trading Standards

Posted: 16/09/2019

Test purchases conducted by local authority Trading Standards services across Scotland in the financial year 2018/19 have shown that shops are still selling tobacco and nicotine vaping products (NVPs) to children under the permitted age of 18.

Scotland-wide awareness campaign to highlight consumer protection issues

Posted: 16/09/2019

SCOTSS (the Scottish trading standards chief officers’ organisation) has launched Scottish Trading Standards Week, a five-day consumer protection campaign, aimed at raising awareness and highlighting the good work that is carried out by local authority trading standards in Scotland.

Tenants warned to beware of rogue letting agents as new figures show more than 46% don’t comply with the law

Posted: 13/09/2019

London Trading Standards (LTS) has today issued a stark warning to tenants: understand your rights or you risk being ripped off by rogue letting agents.

London retailer agreement launched to crackdown on underage knife sales

Posted: 11/09/2019

London Trading Standards (LTS), which represents 33 local authorities in London, is joined by the Deputy Mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police for the launch of the Responsible Retailer Agreement (RRA) on knife sales. 

London Trading Standards Week 2019

Posted: 09/09/2019

London Trading Standards Week (LTS Week) will today kick off its consumer rights and awareness campaigns across the capital to help highlight how local council trading standards is tackling business crime and keeping Londoners safe.

Have you got a story to tell?

Posted: 30/08/2019

Consumer advice organisation UK European Consumer Centre is seeking case studies of UK consumers it has helped who have benefitted from the consumer protection legislation introduced as a result of the UK’s membership of the European Union

Retailers urged to do more to stop the sale of knives to under 18s

Posted: 29/08/2019

New test purchasing data* published today shows that children have been able to buy knives from small independent stores and some of the biggest names on the high street, despite the major retailers pledging** to stop the sale of knives to children. 

Whirlpool to immediately issue full product recall of 800,000 dangerous tumble dryers

Posted: 11/07/2019

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has announced that Whirlpool will issue a full product recall of all unmodified tumble dryers from consumers’ homes. The intervention follows a review by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), where, on 4 June it notified Whirlpool of their intention to serve a Recall Notice of as many as 800,000 remaining unmodified tumble dryers still in use.

Button batteries potential death risk to children warns Office for Product Safety and Standards

Posted: 27/06/2019

Button batteries “can kill a child” if accidentally swallowed, says the Office for Product Safety and Standards (Office). Guidance issued by the Office follows a report published by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) on Thursday after the death of a three-year-old girl last year when she swallowed a 23mm button battery.

Hero Awards: Hero Award for elite sniffer dog that recovered over £6m in illegal tobacco

Posted: 26/06/2019

Imagine a sniffer dog, so good at its job, that a £25K bounty is put on its head!

Scamp, a diligent springer spaniel who recovered over £6 million worth of illegal tobacco products in the last 5 years, has been named the Institutes Hero in the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) Hero Awards 2019.