The South Glos Post

Neighbourhood police and Trading Standards officers carrying out checks on underage alcohol sales in the Chipping Sodbury, Coalpit Heath, Frampton Cotterell and Yate areas were delighted that they all refused to sell alcohol to children.

On Friday 6th May 2011 police teamed up with South Gloucestershire Trading Standards officers for the operation, aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour and alcohol-related offences.

With the help of two clearly underage teenage volunteers – a girl and a boy – they visited ten off-licences to check whether they were prepared to sell alcohol to under-18s.

None of them were prepared to make the sale.

New Neighbourhood PC Finbar Simmons said: “Alcohol and children does not mix. Drink can make young people vulnerable and it can lead to anti-social and criminal behaviour. Licensees have a responsibility to ensure that alcohol does not fall into the wrong hands, and we frequently test that in operations with our colleagues at the council.”

“I’m delighted that all the off-licences did make the proper checks and refused to sell drink to minors, and they will be sent a letter of appreciation.”

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Source: Avon and Somerset Police

South Gloucestershire trading standards is urging local residents to be very careful signing home improvement contracts when dealing with doorstep salespeople.

Several block paving businesses which operate in the region are suspected to be routinely back-dating contracts when they are signed by customers. This has the effect of denying them their legal entitlement to a seven-day cooling off period, within which they can back out of the agreement with no consequences.

The tactic is known to be followed up by workmen attending at the customer’s property, usually when they are not at home, and starting to dig up the driveway. When the customer complains, the business may refer them to the contract which makes it look as if it was signed over a month ago.

It is a criminal offence for doorstep traders not to give customers a written notice of their right to cancel the agreement within seven days of signing it, but this may be waived by the customer only if they sign to say that work can start immediately. Most block paving businesses give such written notice, but some use the tactic of writing an earlier date on the contract so that they can effectively start work immediately and it looks as if the customer has already had their seven day cooling off period.

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council

Trading standards officers in South Gloucestershire have stepped up their efforts to combat incidents of rogue trading in the area with the introduction of four more ‘No Cold Calling Zones’.

The zones were set up by trading standards at the request of residents and Neighbourhood Watch groups, who have chosen to say ‘no’ to uninvited doorstep callers.

The new zones cover Cooks Close in Bradley Stoke, Simmonds View in Stoke Gifford, Kings Drive in Hanham and Sunningdale, Sandy Lodge, Troon and Hoylake in Yate.

Visitors to the No Cold Calling Zones will see street signs on lamp posts to warn traders, and residents will also be provided with information packs and a door/window sticker to display. The aim is to protect residents as well as empowering them to refuse traders selling at their door, through advice and information.

Residents are encouraged to report breaches of the zones to trading standards and the police as traders who ignore the zones could find themselves being arrested for committing an offence.

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council

A South Gloucestershire market trader has been handed a 12 week curfew order after his stall was found stocked with 255 items of counterfeit clothing, including copies of brands like Bench, Henleys and Adidas.

Amarjit Singh, 18, of Sutherland Avenue, Downend, appeared before Northavon Magistrates on Tuesday 18th January and pleaded guilty to 14 charges of possessing counterfeit goods for sale under the Trade Marks Act 1994. His sentence requires him to stay at home between the hours of 7am and 7pm on Saturdays and Sundays for the next three months. In addition he was ordered to pay £250 in prosecution costs.

The case was brought by South Gloucestershire Trading Standards after they identified a number of stallholders trading illegally at a Saturday market held in Filton. In December 2009 Trading Standards, along with police and clothing industry representatives raided the market and suspected offenders were arrested.

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council