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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.

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Dangerous goods seller fined £46,500

Posted: 11 April 2022

UPDATES: A retailer has been fined £46,500 after thousands of counterfeit and unsafe products, including vaping liquids, phone accessories, toys and festive lights, were discovered during a lengthy trading standards investigation.
 

Fraudsters jailed for timeshare scam

Posted: 07 April 2022

UPDATES: Two men have been jailed for laundering money generated by a sophisticated cross-border timeshare fraud that targeted hundreds of UK consumers. The investigation traces how advance-fee scams operated, how funds were moved through multiple accounts, and the partnership work that secured convictions.
 

Touchstone Award seeks nominees

Posted: 04 April 2022

UPDATES: Nominations are open for this year's Touchstone Award, celebrating outstanding hallmarking enforcement, education and innovation. The article explains the judging criteria, eligible activities, prizes and how trading standards professionals can submit entries before the closing date.
 

CTSI makes senior appointments

Posted: 01 April 2022

UPDATES: CTSI has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointments of Riyad Islam as Director of Finance and Corporate Services and Duncan Stephenson as Director of Policy and Public Affairs, outlining the experience and priorities both bring to their new roles.
 

North London fraudster sentenced

Posted: 01 April 2022

UPDATES: A rogue builder who exploited a North London homeowner to feed a gambling addiction has received a suspended prison sentence. The case highlights the financial and personal impact on the victim and the investigation that uncovered how tens of thousands of pounds were misused.
 

Islington cowboy builder jailed

Posted: 23 March 2022

UPDATES: An Islington rogue builder who deliberately targeted elderly homeowners has been jailed after defrauding victims of £86,000 through fabricated roofing repairs. The prosecution demonstrates how early intelligence, careful investigation and partnership working exposed a calculated pattern of offending.
 

Warwickshire rogue trader found guilty

Posted: 21 March 2022

UPDATES: A Warwickshire rogue trader has been convicted after systematically exploiting a vulnerable pensioner over several years, extracting more than £100,000 for grossly overpriced and incomplete work. The investigation reveals the scale of the deception and the evidence that secured the verdict.
 

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.
 

Obituary: Graham John Morgan

Posted: 14 March 2022

UPDATES: Colleagues remember Graham John Morgan as a thoughtful public servant, respected Derbyshire trading standards leader and devoted family man whose career spanned Gloucestershire, Newcastle, Manchester and Derbyshire, and whose legacy includes the county’s Trusted Trader scheme.
 

Pandemic boosts counterfeiting

Posted: 10 March 2022

UPDATES: New Europol and EUIPO findings show how organised criminals exploited the COVID-19 pandemic, online shopping growth and demand for healthcare products to expand counterfeiting, while the Anti-Counterfeit Group reports continued enforcement action and platform partnerships.
 

Operation CeCe celebrates success

Posted: 10 March 2022

UPDATES: Operation CeCe’s first year saw NTS, HMRC, Border Force and local trading standards remove more than £7m of illegal tobacco from sale, disrupt organised crime and secure continued funding for a three-tier enforcement strategy targeting factories, borders and street-level sellers.
 

Dorset takes on illegal puppy sales

Posted: 08 March 2022

UPDATES: Dorset Council is warning would-be dog owners to check breeders before buying, as trading standards and environmental health teams tackle unlicensed puppy sales driven by pandemic demand, animal welfare concerns and the risk of serious consumer loss.
 

Green energy guide launched

Posted: 08 March 2022

UPDATES: A new Business Companion guide aims to help green energy installers meet consumer protection duties, understand accreditation and raise standards as net zero policy, public funding and demand for competent low-carbon home improvements accelerate sector growth.
 

International Women’s Day

Posted: 08 March 2022

UPDATES: International Women’s Day gives CTSI an opportunity to reflect on women’s representation in trading standards, from diversity survey findings and continued sex discrimination concerns to personal perspectives on bias, leadership and progress within the profession.
 

FCA cracks down on investment scams

Posted: 03 March 2022

UPDATES: FCA data shows investment scam enquiries rose sharply in 2021, with cryptoassets, boiler rooms and recovery room fraud prominent, as the regulator promotes ScamSmart and InvestSmart and steps up action against unauthorised and high-risk firms.
 

CTSI speaks to BEIS Committee

Posted: 01 March 2022

UPDATES: CTSI used a BEIS Committee evidence session on post-pandemic economic growth to highlight consumer rights awareness, the economic role of consumer protection, the value of UKICC and the pressure placed on local trading standards by a decade of cuts.
 

Caution urged on imperial markings

Posted: 25 February 2022

UPDATES: CTSI is urging caution over any return to imperial markings, warning that changes to weights and measures could add business costs, confuse consumers and place further enforcement demands on trading standards services already weakened by long-term budget cuts.
 

Fake face mask trader fined

Posted: 25 February 2022

UPDATES: Ealing Council Trading Standards secured a £15,232 penalty against a Southall company that sold counterfeit branded face masks and non-compliant hand sanitiser during the pandemic, exposing consumers to unsafe products marketed as protective essentials.
 

Obituary: Archie Mitchell

Posted: 22 February 2022

UPDATES: Colleagues remember Archibald Mackenzie Mitchell as a respected Scottish trading standards leader, metrologist and mentor whose five-decade career spanned local government, professional service and lasting friendships across the Institute.
 

Disposable vape products seized

Posted: 22 February 2022

UPDATES: A Scotland-wide trading standards project removed more than 88,000 disposable vaping devices from sale and seized thousands more for breaching legal capacity limits, underlining concerns about youth appeal, product compliance, health risks and environmental harm.