What we do

Trading Standards is a service provided by either county councils or unitary councils across the UK. The service evolved from what had previously been known as 'Weights & Measures departments'.

North Somerset Council came into existence in April 1996 following local government re-organisation and its' Trading Standards Service is a small team of 10 full time and 3 part time officers.

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Our Mission

To work towards a fair, safe and equitable trading environment for consumers and businesses alike.

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Whether you are buying a loaf of bread or a litre of petrol, arranging a loan or buying a car, moving farm animals or taking a holiday the Trading Standards Service is responsible for ensuring that sales are carried out within laws written to protect consumers and businesses from illegal and unfair practices

As a law enforcement agency we are responsible for the enforcement of over 80 Acts of Parliament and more than 1,400 associated UK & European Regulations which have an impact on practically all aspects of modern life

(See the section on legislation)

The laws we enforce include those regulating:-

• Unfair trade practices
• Weights & measures
• Rogue traders and doorstep sellers
• Underage sales (tobacco products, Fireworks, video's, DVD's, solvents and alcohol)
• Labelling, composition and chemical contamination of food
• Counterfeit goods (DVDs, cd's, clothing, car parts, tools etc)
• Prices and price marking
• Safety of consumer goods
• Composition, labelling and use of farm animal feeds and pet foods
• Consumer credit agreements
• Farm animal movements, identification, records, welfare and disease control
• Licensing, storage and sale of fireworks
• Package holidays & timeshare
• Estate agents
• Licensing, storage and retailing of petroleum spirit
• Unsolicited goods & services
• The retail sale of poisons

We carry out this function by various means such as:-

• offering a free advice service to all North Somerset businesses to help them meet their legal obligations and to make them aware of how the laws we enforce affect them;

• inspections of premises, assessed as high risk. This may include shops, factories, docks, farms and warehouses. Checks on company records, shipments, products and labels may form a part of the overall inspection;

• sampling of food (anything from raw ingredients to finished meals), animal feed and consumer goods by formal or 'undercover' means to check their quality, composition, safety and description;

• checking advertisements of both local and national companies in local papers or on the internet;

• undertaking covert 'test purchases' of tobacco products, alcohol, fireworks, DVDs etc using volunteer teenagers (in accordance with strict Home Office guidelines) to ensure that these products are not sold to children;

• subscribing to the Home Authority Principle

• investigating complaints; and

• as a last resort, taking legal action against businesses for serious or reckless breaches of the law;

We also offer a comprehensive advice service to North Somerset consumers in partnership with Consumer Direct South West.

Operational Information

Weights & Measures

Trading Standards Officers, as Inspectors of Weights and Measures, have the authority to check all weighing and measuring equipment used for trade. This may include shop scales, weighbridges, petrol pumps, pub measures etc. Tests of equipment are carried out in the event of a complaint or where local intelligence suggests that equipment is being used fraudelently or has been tampered with.

New and repaired weighing and measuring equipment (used by businesses) has to be tested before being put into use and, in North Somerset, this function is carried out by South Gloucestershire Council on our behalf under a joint arrangement. Statutory fees payable for this work are recovered by North Somerset.

If you have any trade weighing or measuring equipment which needs verification (testing) please contact
South Gloucestershire Trading Standards

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Public weighbridges in North Somerset

Operators of Public weighbridges have a legal obligation to weigh your vehicle (car, van, caravan etc), on request, for a fee. [They are only obliged to do this during their normal working hours of course.]

Each weighbridge operator carrying out a weighing must be approved by a Trading Standards Officer, following a short test.

The fees charged are a matter for the operator to decide. North Somerset Council has no control over these charges.

For the current list of Public Weighbridges click here

Counterfeiting & Piracy

The sale of counterfeit goods such as videos, CD's, DVD's, tobacco, computer games and software, clothing etc is illegal.

Where our officers become aware of couterfeiters operating in North Somerset, usually via local intelligence reports, we will take action against those responsible, including both sellers and manufacturers.

Legislation such as the Trade Marks Act 1994 and the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 introduce serious penalties for those convicted of such offences - an unlimited fine and up to 10 years imprisonment.

Furthermore, the courts regularly exercise their powers to order the forfeiture of all equipment used in a counterfeiting 'business'.

This can include:-

• computers, printers, scanners, master cd's, stocks of blank cd's and T-shirts; and

• any other equipment used by counterfeiters and their associates in the course of their work, such as cars, vans and mobile telephones.

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A report carried out for an anti-piracy group claims that

"cutting software piracy can boost local economies and create jobs."

The research estimates that almost 40% of all software being used around the world is pirated.

Hidden cost

It is estimated that

counterfeiting costs North Somerset Businesses around £1.5 million per year in lost turnover.

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For further information abouth conterfeiting issues contact Alliance Against Intellectual Property Theft

Safety of Consumer Goods

The vast majority of products supplied to consumers are subject to safety regulations designed to protect consumers from death or injury.

For example all of the following items are covered by specific regulations:-

• Electrical goods
• Gas appliances
• Toys
• Cosmetic products
• Chemical products & pesticides
• Upholstered furniture
• Fireworks
• Personal protective equipment
• Prams, pushchairs & nursery equipment
• Pedal cycles
• Plants (labelling of hazards re poisonous plants)
• Nickel products - particularly in jewellery

• nb: these laws apply equally to new and used goods sold in second hand or charity shops

A host of other goods are controlled by non-specific regulations

Guidance leaflets on a range of issues surrounding the safety of consumer goods are available to view or order in our consumer advice section

Food Standards

In North Somerset we are responsible for enforcing the wealth of legislation which regulates the composition and labelling of foods manufactured and sold to both consumers and caterers.

We adhere to national guidelines (known as the Home Authority Principle) which require us to place special emphasis on national companies based in North Somerset. The advice we give to 'Home Authority' companies is, of course, followed by that company across the UK.

Each year officers of the Service carry out routine inspections of all food premises deemed to be 'high risk' because of the nature of their operation. These inspections may be carried out at the premises of importers, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, including mobile and temporary traders.

We also take up to 400 food samples annually which are submitted to the Public Analyst's Laboratory where they are tested for quality, composition and the accuracy of labelled information.

Guidance leaflets on a range of food standards issues are available to view or order from us in the consumer advice section

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Please note:

• The registration of food premises (inc food hygiene),
• Food safety complaints and
• The licensing of butchers shops

Animal Health & Welfare

We are responsible for the enforcement of a wide range of animal health & welfare legislation relating to commercial (farmed) livestock.

Issues such as livestock movement records, disease control, welfare of farm animals, movement licences where required, cattle passports and many other issues are all dealt with by us, often in conjunction with Veterinary Inspectors of 'Animal Health' (formerly the State Veterinary Service [SVS]) an executive agency of Defra, the Department for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs.

Further information relating to animal health & welfare, together with comprehensive advice for North Somerset farmers and stock keepers, can be found in our Animal Health & Welfare Section.

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Please note:

Issues regarding the licensing of pet shops, boarding kennels/catteries and riding stables (including the welfare of animals at these premises) are dealt with by our colleagues in Environmental Health. You can contact them via the main North Somerset Council website or by telephoning 01275 884146.

Welfare issues relating to pets, horses and wildlife, are dealt with by the RSPCA.

Visit the RSPCA website or telephone them on 0300 1234 999.

Fair Trading

Rogue Traders and Doorstep Selling

Some traders use high pressure selling techniques to secure sales and threats of violence to secure payment - they often prey on the elderly and vulnerable.

We investigate complaints about traders who continually and deliberately act against the interests of consumers. Often this work involves joint operations with the police, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and other enforcement agencies.

For more details go to our Doorstep Sellers section

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False claims and descriptions

There is a wide range of legislation relating to false claims and descriptions.

We carry out checks and will investigate complaints regarding many types of claims and descriptions.

See our advice page for further details.

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Classification of video recordings

We ensure that pre-recorded DVDs and computer games are labelled with the correct classification, eg U / PG / 18 etc and take action where they're not. These classifications are set by the British Board of Film Classification - BBFC

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Cars

Checks on the mileages of used vehicles on sale in local garages are carried out by our officers. We accomplish this by noting the mileage of the vehicle on the garage forecourt and then contacting all the previous keepers, via DVLA, to check the mileage of the vehicle when traded in.

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Other Fair Trading Matters

The following are also matters that we are involved in:-

• Unfair Contract Terms
• Hallmarking
• Estate Agents and Property Misdescriptions
• Distance Selling
• Package Holidays

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Operational information - Complaints and Enquiries - Weights & Measures - Counterfeiting & Piracy - Safety of consumer goods - Food standards - Animal Health and Welfare - Fair Trading - Licensing and Registration - Agriculture & Feeding Stuffs

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