Latest Headlines

Consumer Minister becomes millionth recruit to scam-fighting initiative Friends Against Scams

National Trading Standards scheme reaches ‘one million Friends’ milestone and saves society £59m

Enforcement action stops sale of over £50k of unsafe electrical goods

Havering Council’s trading standards team helped to stop unsafe electrical goods being sold to the public in an investigation which saw a company director prosecuted.

‘Price on application’ in property listings deemed unlawful as National Trading Standards publishes opinion

National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) has today published its opinion*, developed with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), that the use of ‘POA’ or ‘price on application’ in property listings (principally sales listings) contravenes consumer protection legislation.

Torquay builder sentenced to 43 months for building work fraud

A tradesman from Torquay has today been handed a 43-month custodial sentence and a Criminal Behaviour Order for 10 years at Bristol Crown Court after pleading guilty to running a fraudulent business.

​National Trading Standards appoints new Chair

The National Trading Standards Board is delighted to confirm that Lord Michael Bichard will take over as the Chair of National Trading Standards from 1 June 2022.

Two sentenced after pleading guilty to money laundering in £500K timeshare fraud

13 million illegal cigarettes taken off the streets in first year of major operation

Illegal tobacco products worth more than £7 million have been seized in the first year* of a major crackdown on the illicit tobacco trade by National Trading Standards (NTS) and HMRC.

Material information for property listings announced

A property's council tax band or rate and the property price and tenure information (for sales) must be included on all property listings by the end of May 2022 and these data fields will start to appear on portals over the coming weeks.These changes represent the first phase of a project by the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team, in partnership with industry leaders and the UK’s major property portals*, to define what constitutes material information for property listings.

Brothers sentenced for home maintenance fraud following extradition

Two brothers have been sentenced at Bristol Crown Court today after pleading guilty to one count of participating in a fraudulent roofing and building business on December 22 at Bristol Crown Court.

Property improvement fraudsters sentenced

Three fraudsters have been sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court today (4 February 2022) for their part in an elaborate property improvement scam which saw victims conned into paying deposits totalling nearly £800,000 for building work that was never undertaken.