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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.

 

Dangerous hoverboards seized

Posted: 10 August 2018

UPDATES: North East Lincolnshire trading standards officers seized 550 unsafe hoverboards before distribution, after tests found poor internal construction, defective electrical components, missing markings and other safety risks in products aimed at children.
 

Package holiday rules updated

Posted: 03 August 2018

UPDATES: New package travel rules extend consumer protection to holidays built through online linked bookings, giving travellers clearer rights on cancellation, insolvency, liability and repatriation when flights, accommodation or other services are combined.
 

Weeding out cowboy gardeners

Posted: 03 August 2018

UPDATES: Warwickshire residents are being urged to steer clear of rogue doorstep gardeners after reports of poor workmanship and illegal waste disposal. Practical advice explains how to identify reputable traders and avoid becoming the next victim.
 

Getting animated about scams

Posted: 01 August 2018

UPDATES: Halton Trading Standards has turned the proceeds of counterfeiters' crime into a series of animated films tackling scams, loan sharks and fake goods, using local partners to spread consumer protection messages to vulnerable residents.
 

Illicit cigarettes seized in Staffs

Posted: 27 July 2018

UPDATES: Staffordshire's latest crackdown on illicit tobacco uncovered a quarter of a million illegal cigarettes and large quantities of hand-rolling tobacco, highlighting the scale of organised criminal activity and the continuing value of public intelligence.
 

CTSI warns on timeshare scams

Posted: 27 July 2018

UPDATES: Holidaymakers are being reminded to think carefully before accepting invitations to timeshare presentations. CTSI outlines the legal protections in place, the long-term financial commitments involved and the warning signs of high-pressure sales tactics.
 

New guidance for animal inspections

Posted: 27 July 2018

UPDATES: Newly published inspection guidance aims to improve consistency and evidence-based assessment of animal establishments, offering regulators detailed welfare and husbandry standards covering species from invertebrates to companion animals.
 

SafeStyle UK fined for aggressive tactics

Posted: 27 July 2018

UPDATES: SafeStyle UK has received one of West Yorkshire's largest consumer protection penalties after admitting aggressive and misleading sales practices, marking a significant prosecution by the region's multi-agency financial exploitation team.
 

Council team joins training scheme

Posted: 22 July 2018

UPDATES: Durham's regulatory services team is strengthening relationships with local businesses through communication and mentoring training, using the Better Business for All initiative to improve inspections, advice and mutual understanding.
 

Southwark confronts 'modern slavery'

Posted: 22 July 2018

UPDATES: Southwark Council's investigation into a licensed shop uncovered serious licensing breaches, smuggled alcohol and workers living in exploitative conditions, leading to licence revocation and wider action against modern slavery.
 

Bucks and Surrey TS wins award

Posted: 22 July 2018

UPDATES: Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards has been recognised by OPSS for outstanding leadership of the Primary Authority scheme, reflecting successful partnerships that help major businesses comply with regulations nationwide.
 

Sharp rise in number helped by CCAS

Posted: 04 July 2018

UPDATES: The Consumer Codes Approval Scheme reports sharply rising consumer engagement, growing coverage across UK markets and millions of pounds in recovered compensation, underlining its expanding role in strengthening consumer confidence.
 

Worried consumers still need the UK ECC

Posted: 29 June 2018

ANALYSIS: As Brexit raised questions over future cross-border redress, the UK European Consumer Centre’s casework showed why European cooperation still mattered for consumers. From complex disputes with overseas traders to small claims, recalls and package travel, the Centre’s 16,000 cases a year underlined the risks of leaving shoppers without a practical route to help.
 

£1.6m POCA order for Operation Gleam

Posted: 25 June 2018

ANALYSIS: Operation Gleam began with unsafe tooth-whitening products at the Royal Welsh Show and grew into a multi-agency fraud investigation exposing eight years of phoenix companies, misleading sales and dangerous peroxide levels. Powys Trading Standards’ £1.6m POCA order showed how persistence, regional cooperation and financial investigation can turn a local enquiry into serious enforcement.
 

CTSI Hero Award winners 2018

Posted: 24 June 2018

UPDATES: CTSI’s 2018 Hero Awards honoured consumer champions, enforcement partners, scam victims and frontline professionals whose work had protected communities from fraud, nuisance calls, unsafe goods and wider detriment. From Martin Lewis and trueCall to Maev Dunmore, Sigrid Hambly and National Trading Standards, the ceremony showed the breadth of courage behind modern consumer protection.
 

MEPs vote to wind back clocking

Posted: 18 June 2018

UPDATES: European proposals to tackle car clocking called for cross-border mileage registers, stronger odometer safeguards and action from manufacturers, as UK figures showed tampering rising sharply. CTSI’s call for a specific offence reflected mounting concern that legal loopholes, slow progress and weak safeguards were leaving used-car buyers exposed to fraud and safety risks.
 

New measures to beat nuisance calls

Posted: 11 June 2018

UPDATES: New government proposals would allow the Information Commissioner’s Office to fine company directors personally for nuisance marketing, closing a loophole used by firms that liquidate and restart under new names. The measures sit alongside tougher direct marketing rules, better data sharing with Ofcom and funding for call blockers to protect vulnerable consumers.
 

Crime networks forge ahead in fakes

Posted: 06 June 2018

UPDATES: A EUIPO synthesis report warned that organised crime groups were becoming more sophisticated in counterfeiting and piracy, using complex supply chains, online platforms and social media to profit from intellectual property crime. With fake goods damaging economies, funding wider criminality and posing health and safety risks, enforcement bodies called for stronger intelligence-led responses.
 

Celebrating consumer heroes

Posted: 05 June 2018

UPDATES: The CTSI Hero Award 2018 set out to recognise people and groups whose actions had protected consumers, exposed rogue traders or raised awareness of trading standards issues. With MPs joining the ceremony at One Great George Street, the event promised to put bravery, public service and practical consumer protection in the spotlight.
 

Obituary: Harold Hunt

Posted: 31 May 2018

UPDATES: Harold Hunt’s obituary traces a career of quiet public service, from national service and Berkshire weights and measures to four decades with Oxfordshire Trading Standards. Remembered for his legal expertise, food law knowledge, mentoring, Institute commitment and lifelong love of cricket, he left a strong legacy across his profession and community.