Surrey News
trading standards
Skip hire boss fined for pressuring customers into stumping up extra charges
A skip hire boss who pressured customers into paying extra charges for skips to be removed from outside their homes has been ordered to pay fines and court costs of more than £30,000. Brian Place, director of 1st Place Grab & Skip Hire Ltd, was sentenced by Guildford magistrates for using aggressive commercial practices after … Continue reading
Rogue trader jailed for conning retired Surrey teacher with excessive charges for shoddy work
A doorstep rogue trader has been jailed after conning a retired Surrey teacher with excessive charges for substandard work to her house and garden. Tom Watson was jailed for two years for running a fraudulent business following a prosecution brought by Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards. He was handed a further four years’ imprisonment for … Continue reading
Rogue trader admits conning retired Surrey teacher with excessive charges for shoddy work
A doorstep rogue trader has admitted fleecing a retired Surrey teacher with excessive charges for substandard work to her house and garden. Tom Watson pleaded guilty to running a fraudulent business after he was brought to court by Surrey trading standards officers. Their investigation found that the former teacher, an elderly widow from Stanwell, had … Continue reading
Surrey builder fined for forging certificate after trading standards probe
A builder has been ordered to pay more than £4,000 after forging a building regulations certificate for a customer who raised concerns over his work. Thomas Peare, 28, of Langley Vale, near Epsom, was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,180 after pleading guilty to an offence under counterfeiting and forgery laws. He … Continue reading
IN PICTURES: Trading standards impounds Halloween spider toys over safety fears
Surrey trading standards officers have impounded dozens of Halloween spider toys to stop them posing a risk to children. They barred the products from entering the country through Heathrow Airport after finding sharp exposed wires in some and choking hazards in others. In a batch of 150 “spider web” sets, spider toys had legs which … Continue reading
The top four scams reported to Surrey trading standards and how to protect yourself
During Scams Awareness Month, Surrey trading standards is highlighting the top four most common scams in the county and the ways residents can protect themselves. Scams Awareness Month is a national campaign throughout June aimed at ensuring people “don’t miss a trick” when it comes to scams. Doorstep scams The most common scam reported in … Continue reading
Sniffer dog Pippa to show off her skills at roadshows highlighting illegal tobacco trade
Sniffer dog Pippa will show off her skills in detecting illegal tobacco on a roadshow tour of Surrey to highlight the dangers of the counterfeit trade. Pippa (pictured) will be in action next week at roadshows in Camberley, Guildford, Staines and Epsom. The events are being staged by trading standards officers and health advisers to … Continue reading
VIDEO: Trading standards warning after doorstep foam insulation sellers target residents
If you’re looking at reducing your energy costs visit Action Surrey here for free advice and a list of vetted installers. To report an incident contact trading standards through the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06. If you feel under real threat or in danger, contact the police on 101 or in … Continue reading
Sniffer dogs to take centre stage at roadshows highlighting illegal tobacco trade
Specially trained sniffer dog Phoebe will showcase her skills at roadshows around Surrey to highlight the dangers of illegal tobacco. Phoebe (pictured) will join trading standards and public health teams in Redhill, Woking, Staines and Guildford next week as part of a crackdown on the counterfeit tobacco trade. The roadshows aim to raise awareness of … Continue reading
AUDIO: BBC Surrey interviews trading standards’ Steve Ruddy about rogue traders
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
MAP: Crackdown targets rogue traders in 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
Surrey trading standards officers seize hundreds of illegal skin-lightening products
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 company director who laundered cash must pay back scam victims
A Surrey company director who laundered cash from a double scam has been ordered to pay back almost a quarter of a million pounds. Gary Booker, of Queens Avenue, Byfleet, was convicted of money laundering last July following an investigation by Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards working with Thames Valley Police. In 2013 a scam … Continue reading
Trading standards uncovers suffocation risk from packaging on 200 toy playsets
Surrey trading standards officers have uncovered a batch of 200 toy playsets destined to be sold as Christmas presents despite packaging which poses a suffocation risk. Officers ordered safety tests on a sample of the products – imported from China via Heathrow Airport – after becoming suspicious because the toys were incorrectly labelled. The tests … Continue reading
ROUND UP: Put clocks back and check your smoke alarm; Trading standards seize half a tonne of illegal snuff
Put the clocks back and check your smoke alarm Surrey residents are being urged to test their smoke alarm as they put their clocks back this weekend. The call from Surrey Fire and Rescue Service comes after the latest statistics from the Home Office show that 12% of households where fires took place in 2013/14 … Continue reading
