Journal of Trading Standards, Online Edition - JoTS Online

Welcome to the Journal of Trading Standards online edition, JoTS Online. Browse through our latest Articles - including Analysis, Opinion Pieces, Features and a selection of articles from our acclaimed print journal.

Although many JoTS Online articles are open access (public), others are exclusive to CTSI Members - in which case, you'll need to login to access them. If you aren't a member of CTSI yet, you can join us here. And, if you'd like to contribute articles or suggest topics for us to cover, please email our Editorial Team.

Latest JoTS Online Articles :

News Category Tags: Crime, Product Safety, Health and Safety, Counterfeit Goods, Retail, Animal Health and Welfare, Legal and Policy, Enforcement Practice, Product Recalls, Property and Housing, Automotive, Vapes, Business, CTSI Conference, CTSI Hero Awards.

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Carers praised for helping scam victim

Posted: 06 September 2023

UPDATES: Two care workers in Suffolk who stepped in to protect a 101-year-old woman who had fallen prey to a clairvoyance...

Duo sentenced for huge tobacco haul

Posted: 04 August 2023

UPDATES: Two offenders have been sentenced after officers uncovered hundreds of thousands of illegal cigarettes and large quantities of illicit tobacco, exposing the scale of an operation worth hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost duty.

Rogue agent banned from directorship

Posted: 16 June 2023

UPDATES: A rogue Suffolk letting agent who defrauded landlords and tenants has been banned from acting as a company director following a Trading Standards investigation that exposed widespread misuse of tenancy deposits and rental payments.

Fraudsters targeted vulnerable people

Posted: 04 April 2023

UPDATES: A joint investigation has brought sentencing for fraudsters who targeted elderly and vulnerable victims, exposing the pressure tactics and deception used to extract money from people least able to withstand it.

Illicit vapes 'new battleground'

Posted: 24 March 2023

UPDATES: Lincolnshire Trading Standards says illicit vapes have become a new enforcement battleground, with seizure figures showing how quickly non-compliant products have moved to the centre of local product safety work.

Deadly heaters seized by Suffolk TS

Posted: 09 March 2023

UPDATES: More than 300 unsafe electrical heaters destined for online sale were intercepted at Felixstowe after inspectors identified serious electrocution risks, preventing potentially dangerous products from reaching consumers.

Suffolk TS secures victim compensation

Posted: 15 February 2023

UPDATES: Suffolk Trading Standards has secured £50,000 in compensation for victims of David Waters, whose mobility furniture company took deposits from elderly and disabled consumers but failed to deliver. The payout follows his fraud conviction and underlines the team’s work beyond prosecution to recover money for those harmed.

Illicit tobacco seized in NE Lincs

Posted: 13 February 2023

UPDATES: North East Lincolnshire Trading Standards and Humberside Police have seized illegal cigarettes, tobacco, shisha and disposable vapes from five businesses in Grimsby and Cleethorpes. The Operation CeCe raids removed products worth tens of thousands of pounds and continued a local enforcement drive against illicit tobacco sales.

Essex TS prosecutes smallholder

Posted: 24 January 2023

UPDATES: An investigation uncovered pigs left emaciated without adequate food, water or bedding, leading to prosecutions that underline the consequences of serious farm animal welfare failures.

Suffolk TS seizes unsafe biking gear

Posted: 20 September 2022

UPDATES: Suffolk Trading Standards removed more than 350 items of potentially dangerous motorcycle protective clothing from sale at the Copdock Bike Show after inspections found non-compliant jeans, gloves, jackets and body suits.

Suffolk rogue lettings agent jailed

Posted: 05 September 2022

UPDATES: A rogue Suffolk lettings agent who misappropriated tenancy deposits and rental payments has been jailed, demonstrating the consequences of fraud and the value of coordinated Trading Standards investigations.

Cowboy builder put victims at risk

Posted: 23 August 2022

UPDATES: A rogue builder who left households with dangerous structural defects, exposed wiring and unsafe gas installations has been jailed for 33 months following a Norfolk Trading Standards prosecution. The case illustrates the financial and emotional harm caused by rogue traders.

Elaborate cigarette hide discovered

Posted: 21 March 2022

UPDATES: Trading standards officers uncovered more than 5,000 illicit cigarettes hidden above a shop ceiling inside a sophisticated remote-controlled concealment. The discovery illustrates the increasingly elaborate methods used to evade enforcement and the continuing fight against illegal tobacco sales.

Petrol station fined for drinks bottle sale

Posted: 10 March 2020

UPDATES: A petrol station operator has been fined £60,000 for selling petrol in a drinks bottle following a successful prosecution by

Company fined over unsafe tyre sale

Posted: 21 January 2020

UPDATES: A company in Stevenage has been fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £1,811 in costs after pleading guilty to supplying a part-worn tyre which failed to meet the safety requirements of the Motor Vehicle Tyres...

Company director jailed for 32 months

Posted: 20 December 2019

UPDATES: A Suffolk mobility company director has been jailed, disqualified and made subject to a criminal behaviour order after customers were left without expensive goods or refunds. The case underlines the consequences of persistent unfair commercial practices.