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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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Analysis: Winter is coming

Posted: 13 January 2025

ANALYSIS: Scotland’s drive to decarbonise homes could reshape consumer protection as profoundly as it reshapes housing. With EPC confusion, unqualified traders, green finance risks and spray foam scandals already causing concern, Trading Standards voices warn that ambition must be matched by public education, robust accreditation and enough enforcement capacity to keep consumers safe.
 

E-bike safety: a burning issue

Posted: 13 January 2025

ANALYSIS: E-bike and e-scooter battery fires have turned a popular form of transport into an urgent product safety challenge. From online marketplaces and conversion kits to gaps in regulation and enforcement, campaigners, fire chiefs and Trading Standards are pressing for stronger rules before more families suffer devastating losses.
 

Speaking out for consumers

Posted: 13 January 2025

ANALYSIS: As scams become more convincing and consumer rights harder to navigate, Trading Standards leaders argue that prevention must start earlier and reach further. This piece looks at the case for inclusive consumer education, better school-age awareness and practical partnerships that help people protect themselves before harm is done.
 

Interview: Justin Madders MP

Posted: 13 January 2025

ANALYSIS: With a new government, major consumer legislation and growing pressure on local enforcement, Justin Madders sets out how ministers view Trading Standards’ role in safer markets and economic growth. The interview ranges from online marketplaces and product safety to Net Zero, regulatory reform and the value of properly supported local expertise.
 

Profile: A job well done

Posted: 13 January 2025

ANALYSIS: After six decades in Trading Standards, Peter Tompkins reflects on a profession transformed by social change, new legislation and severe funding pressures. His memories of Weights and Measures, farm inspections, prosecutions and business advice offer a warm but clear-eyed account of what the service has lost, retained and still needs.
 

Analysis: Out with the old

Posted: 13 January 2025

ANALYSIS: Labour’s legislative programme promises major changes for product safety, online markets, tobacco and vapes, renting and housebuilding. For Trading Standards, the question is not whether these reforms matter, but whether already stretched services will receive the powers, clarity and funding needed to enforce them effectively.
 

OPSS examines emerging risks

Posted: 09 January 2025

UPDATES: OPSS’s first Horizon Scan places jetpacks and human implant technology among the emerging developments with the greatest potential consumer risk. The report also highlights online marketplaces, social commerce and fast-changing supply chains as areas where regulation and market surveillance will need to keep pace.
 

Cigarettes sold to 13-year-old

Posted: 08 January 2025

UPDATES: A Bradford shop sold cigarettes to a 13-year-old volunteer during a West Yorkshire Trading Standards test purchase, despite prior warnings about underage sales. The case underlines the continuing need for age checks, public reporting and enforcement against retailers that put children at risk.
 

Shop fined for selling illicit tobacco

Posted: 07 January 2025

UPDATES: Barking and Dagenham Trading Standards secured fines and costs of more than £5,000 after counterfeit tobacco was found at a Dagenham shop during an Operation CeCe inspection. The case reinforces the public health and consumer protection risks posed by illicit tobacco sales.
 

Rotherham TS releases vape figures

Posted: 07 January 2025

UPDATES: Rotherham Trading Standards and local police removed £563,000 worth of counterfeit vapes from shops during 2024, with some products found to contain harmful contaminants. The figures show the scale of illicit vape enforcement ahead of the disposable vapes ban coming into force in June 2025.
 

Illegal Fire stick seller jailed

Posted: 06 January 2025

UPDATES: A major investigation into the sale of illegally modified Fire TV sticks has ended with a prison sentence, highlighting the scale of copyright crime and the collaborative work behind a successful prosecution.
 

Dangerous goods intercepted at port

Posted: 06 January 2025

UPDATES: Trading Standards officers have intercepted unsafe imported goods before they reached consumers, underlining the importance of border enforcement in preventing hazardous products entering the UK market.
 

Opinion: A weigh-in a manger

Posted: 20 December 2024

OPINION: Seasonal traditions provide the backdrop for a thoughtful reflection on weights and measures, professional standards and the enduring relevance of Trading Standards work in everyday life.
 

Imported plastic steps fail safety tests

Posted: 19 December 2024

UPDATES: Safety testing has identified serious defects in imported plastic steps, prompting enforcement action and reinforcing the need for robust product compliance before goods reach consumers.
 

Flammable furniture removed from sale

Posted: 19 December 2024

UPDATES: Enforcement action has removed unsafe upholstered furniture from sale after fire safety concerns were identified, demonstrating how product regulation protects consumers from potentially life-threatening risks.
 

Almost 10,000 cigarettes seized

Posted: 18 December 2024

UPDATES: A significant seizure of illicit cigarettes has disrupted the illegal tobacco trade while highlighting the wider links between counterfeit goods, organised crime and consumer harm.
 

Home improvement fraudsters jailed

Posted: 18 December 2024

UPDATES: Rogue traders who targeted householders with fraudulent home improvement work have been jailed following a lengthy investigation, sending a strong deterrent message to offenders operating in the sector.
 

Celebrating the CTSI Hero Awards 2024

Posted: 12 December 2024

UPDATES: The CTSI Hero Awards recognise individuals and teams whose dedication, innovation and commitment have made an outstanding contribution to consumer protection and the Trading Standards profession.
 

Shop fined for vape sale to minor

Posted: 06 December 2024

UPDATES: A retailer has been fined after selling a vape to an underage customer, reinforcing the importance of age-restricted sales enforcement and retailer compliance.
 

Sniffer dog Boo scares illicit sellers

Posted: 06 December 2024

UPDATES: Specialist detection dog Boo continues to play a valuable role in uncovering illicit tobacco, demonstrating how innovative enforcement techniques are helping disrupt the illegal market.