The South Glos Post

Police and South Gloucestershire Council targeted pubs in an under-age alcohol test-purchase operation for the first time on Friday 10th December 10.

Two 16-year-old girls volunteered to try to buy alcohol at six pubs – two in Emersons Green and the rest in Kingswood, Longwell Green, Pucklechurch and Soundwell.

Neighbourhood Inspector Kevin Thatcher said: “I’m delighted that these clearly under-age girls were unable to buy alcohol at any of the pubs we visited.”

“We regularly work with Trading Standards running this sort of operation to see if off-licences will sell drink to under-18s. This is the first time we’ve run the operation at pubs in South Gloucestershire.”

“I understand that people may have concerns about under-age girls going into a pub environment, but there were plain clothes police officers inside the premises as the girls went in and they were followed in by Trading Standards officers.”

(more…)

Source: Avon and Somerset Police

A Pilning man has been given an 18-month prison sentence after admitting selling counterfeit clothing, jewellery, handbags, films and games as well as possessing a “chipped” games console.

Kane Goodman, aged 36, of Wainbridge Crescent, Pilning, pleaded guilty at Bristol Crown Court last year to 17 charges under the Trade Marks Act 1994 for selling and possessing for sale counterfeit goods. He also pleaded guilty to one charge under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

In a hearing at Bristol Crown Court the scale of Goodman’s operation was revealed, involving transactions in the UK, Europe and the Far East.

The case was prosecuted by South Gloucestershire Council’s trading standards department after Goodman’s activities came to light during the course of an investigation into the sales of counterfeit films.

(more…)

Source: South Gloucestershire Council

Teenage volunteers have helped police and South Gloucestershire Council Trading Standards officers check whether stores will sell alcohol to under-18s.

The operation, on Friday January 29 2010, focused on off-licences and convenience stores in Cadbury Heath, Kingswood, Oldland Common, Warmley and Willsbridge.

Nine premises were checked by the volunteers aged 14 and 16.

In three of them, the youngsters were able to buy alcohol – despite showing an identity card with their true age on it.

Neighbourhood Sergeant Rachael Hodges said: “There is a clear link between under-age drinking and anti-social behaviour, and it’s disappointing that we had sales in Kingswood, Oldland Common and Warmley, where we have been working hard to tackle these problems.

(more…)

Source: Avon and Somerset Police

The people of South Gloucestershire are being urged to help end the scourge of mass marketed scam mailing, by taking part in a nationwide Scamnesty campaign.

South Gloucestershire Council is backing the Office of Fair Trading campaign, which runs throughout February, by encouraging its residents to collect any scam mailing they receive and drop them into designated Scamnesty bins located in all One Stop Shops and most libraries. A full list of locations is available at www.southglos.gov.uk/Scamnesty.

(more…)

Source: South Gloucestershire Council