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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.

 

Product Safety Review launched

Posted: 03 August 2023

UPDATES: A new Product Safety Review sets out proposals for reforming the UK's product safety framework. The report examines emerging risks, regulatory challenges and the evidence needed to strengthen consumer protection.
 

Online counterfeit sellers sentenced

Posted: 02 August 2023

UPDATES: Sellers of counterfeit goods have been sentenced following an investigation into large-scale online trademark offences, underlining the growing focus on disrupting criminal networks operating through internet marketplaces.
 

Govt announces UKCA U-turn

Posted: 01 August 2023

UPDATES: The Government has reversed plans to phase out CE marking, confirming that UKCA and CE markings can continue to be used in Great Britain and providing businesses with greater regulatory certainty.
 

Dangerous goods worth £15.3m seized

Posted: 01 August 2023

UPDATES: Enforcement agencies have seized £15.3 million worth of dangerous and counterfeit goods destined for online sale, removing products posing serious risks to consumers before they reached the marketplace.
 

Case studies needed for new book

Posted: 31 July 2023

UPDATES: CTSI Fellow Robert Grice MBE is seeking Trading Standards case studies for a new history of consumer protection, asking members to share prosecutions that show the breadth and social impact of the profession’s work.
 

Consumer Duty comes into force

Posted: 31 July 2023

UPDATES: The FCA’s Consumer Duty rules introduce higher expectations for financial services firms, with stronger obligations around fair value, customer outcomes and vulnerability. CTSI welcomes the move, while warning that fair treatment is vital as households face rising financial pressure and restricted access to legitimate credit.
 

Closure order for underage vape shop

Posted: 27 July 2023

UPDATES: A Taunton shop has been closed for three months after Trading Standards and police uncovered underage vape sales, drug paraphernalia, illicit tobacco and non-compliant vapes, highlighting growing enforcement concern around products marketed to children and linked anti-social behaviour.
 

No safe haven for criminals

Posted: 26 July 2023

ANALYSIS: The Tick Box initiative is urging self storage businesses to tighten due diligence, reject cash-led anonymity and work with Trading Standards to stop criminals using storage units for counterfeit and illicit goods. With millions of pounds of goods seized, the voluntary code aims to make the sector hostile to illegal supply chains.
 

Lancs TS hits streets in 'day of action'

Posted: 25 July 2023

UPDATES: Lancashire Trading Standards joined a multi-agency Preston day of action under Operation Centurion, seizing counterfeit cigarettes, illicit tobacco, non-duty paid alcohol, prescription-only medicines and non-compliant vapes as part of wider efforts to tackle anti-social behaviour and protect public health.
 

Greek wildfires cause travel chaos

Posted: 25 July 2023

UPDATES: As wildfires disrupted holidays in Rhodes, CTSI travel law specialists set out when UK consumers may be entitled to refunds, alternative flights, insurance support or Section 75 protection, while warning that rights differ sharply between package holidays and separately booked travel.
 

CMA publishes unit pricing review

Posted: 21 July 2023

UPDATES: CTSI has welcomed the CMA’s unit pricing review, which calls for clearer, more consistent and more prominent pricing rules across grocery and variety retail. The Institute says reform is needed, but warns that enforcement depends on properly resourced Trading Standards services.
 

Staffs TS makes bumper tobacco haul

Posted: 20 July 2023

UPDATES: Staffordshire Trading Standards has seized more than £26,000 of illegal tobacco and vapes in raids backed by Operation CeCe, police and detection dogs, adding to a year-long haul of illicit products worth around £325,000.
 

Cheshire East TS wins national award

Posted: 20 July 2023

UPDATES: Cheshire East Trading Standards has received national recognition from the England Illegal Money Lending Team for its work to raise awareness of loan sharks, support safer communities and help expose unlawful lenders operating locally.
 

LGA calls for disposable vape ban

Posted: 17 July 2023

UPDATES: The Local Government Association has called for a ban on single-use vapes by 2024, citing fire risks, litter, waste costs and child appeal, while echoing CTSI concerns about tighter controls on vape marketing and display.
 

CTSI warning over scam SMS messages

Posted: 14 July 2023

UPDATES: The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has issued a warning to parents and youngsters alike to be on guard against a new spate of scam text messages purporting to be from the recipient’s son or...
 

Unlicensed dog breeders prosecuted

Posted: 12 July 2023

UPDATES: A mother and two daughters from Fochriw who bred dogs without a licence, rearing at least 27 litters over a 2-year period, have been sentenced for unlicensed dog breeding under the Animal Welfare Act 2006....
 

Electric vehicles: Current affairs

Posted: 09 July 2023

ANALYSIS: Exaggerated environmental claims, problems with charging infrastructure, pricing anomalies and ‘optimistic’ predicted driving ranges are creating headaches for some drivers who have already bought electric vehicles (EVs)...
 

Border control: Point of impact

Posted: 08 July 2023

ANALYSIS: It’s a perennial problem. Unsafe and illegal products enter the UK and are disseminated around the country to distributors before being sold online or direct to consumers. It is then up to various agencies, including...
 

AI and the rise of synthetic scams

Posted: 08 July 2023

ANALYSIS: Businesses, government agencies and organisations around the world are all racing to figure out how to make the best use of artificial intelligence (AI). However, just as more applications for AI come to market, at...
 

A view from the other side

Posted: 05 July 2023

OPINION: “I would never let my children work in Trading Standards.” That was what an experienced Trading Standards Officer told me during my first week in the profession back in 2008. I was attending a South...