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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.

 

UKICC secures Government funding

Posted: 21 April 2022

UPDATES: The UK International Consumer Centre has secured continued Government funding, ensuring ongoing support for UK consumers who encounter problems when buying goods and services from overseas traders.
 

CTSI supports child safety campaign

Posted: 14 April 2022

UPDATES: CTSI has backed a national child safety campaign highlighting the dangers posed by button batteries, magnets and other small household objects, encouraging greater awareness of choking and swallowing hazards.
 

Oxford Street raid nabs £100,000 fakes

Posted: 12 April 2022

UPDATES: Trading standards officers seized more than £100,000 worth of counterfeit goods, illegal vaping products and snus during a major enforcement operation targeting illicit trade on London's Oxford Street.
 

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.
 

Fighting the good fight

Posted: 23 March 2022

ANALYSIS: As trading standards faces shrinking resources and expanding responsibilities, leading voices from across the profession examine how its adaptability can remain a strength without diluting professional identity, exploring leadership, resilience, partnership working and the future direction of the service.
 

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.
 

Interview: Professor Kathy Hamilton

Posted: 22 March 2022

ANALYSIS: Consumer vulnerability is shaped by far more than age or income. Professor Kathy Hamilton discusses transformative consumer research, the social and structural factors that create vulnerability, and how this evidence can help trading standards develop more effective, consumer-centred interventions.
 

Speaking out for consumers

Posted: 22 March 2022

ANALYSIS: Seventy years after its creation, the Consumer Public Interest Network continues to champion the consumer voice in standards development. This feature explores its evolving priorities, the role of volunteer representatives and why meaningful consumer involvement remains central to better standards.
 

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.