A double-glazing firm was today ordered to pay fines and costs of £330,000 for using illegal high-pressure sales tactics such as quoting inflated prices to make discounts look better and falsely claiming offers were time limited. Zenith Staybrite Ltd was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £250,000 following a prosecution brought by Buckinghamshire … Continue reading
With new rules on tobacco products and e-cigarettes now in force, Steve Ruddy, head of Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards, said: “These new laws aim to protect people’s health and include standard plain packaging for cigarettes, a ban on 10-packs and limits on the strength of vaping liquids and the size of containers that hold … Continue reading
Listen to BBC Surrey’s interview on Friday evening with Steve Ruddy, head of Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards, about the work being done to tackle rogue traders. It followed last week’s joint trading standards and police crackdown on doorstep scammers. Audio courtesy of BBC Surrey
Rogue traders and doorstep scammers in Surrey were targeted during a joint trading standards and police crackdown this week. Trading standards officers teamed up with the police to check vans and lorries, patrol rogue trader hotspots and pursue ongoing investigations into fraud and money laundering. A suspect in a doorstep crime incident in Ashford was … Continue reading
Trading standards officers in Surrey have seized hundreds of illegal skin-lightening products containing an ingredient linked to cancer. They have confiscated two consignments of potentially dangerous cosmetics in the space of a few weeks after they were brought into the country from Nigeria through Heathrow Airport. The products were seized because they contain the skin-bleaching … Continue reading
Surrey’s unsung heroes recognised Almost 30 of Surrey’s unsung heroes were recognised at a ceremony hosted by the county council’s chairman. Sally Marks handed volunteers a certificate and a medal at the event in Dorking to recognise the work they do in their communities. Among those receiving awards were Carole Anne Cole, from Camberley, who invites young … Continue reading
A Surrey shopkeeper was caught with thousands of pounds worth of illegal tobacco when a sniffer dog found secret stashes hidden around his store. Trading standards officers raided a convenience store in Godalming in September last year and found hundreds of packets of cigarettes and tobacco pouches hidden under a sink, beneath beer and wine … Continue reading
A conman who sold pirated versions of Disney’s Little Mermaid and Mrs Brown’s Boys imported from China on websites such as eBay and Play has been ordered to repay almost £500,000. Trevor Pegg was jailed for three years in January after being convicted on 13 counts – including importing and supplying counterfeit DVDs, running a … Continue reading