Trading Standards Service Performance Report 2022 to 2023
Ensuring a Fair, Safe and Competitive Trading Environment
- the service has dealt with over 850 complaints, including those handled by the Trading Standards Advice Centre and those investigated by Trading Standards Officers. In addition to this, our partner agency, the Citizens Advice Consumer Service, has provided advice to over 1,300 local residents within the Borough
- a landscape gardener from Billingham was handed a 19-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to fraud and unfair trading offences in relation to sub-standard and incomplete paving and landscaping work. He was also charging customers VAT when he was not VAT registered. Part of this offending occurred during the period of a suspended sentence from a previous prosecution against him in March 2021
- during the year, Trading Standards Officers visited over 550 business premises in the Borough. Through these contacts a variety of activities were carried out, including checks on whether businesses were complying with fair trading rules, advice on the labelling of foodstuffs, checks on the safety of products offered for sale, the validity of pricing information and the accuracy of weighing and measuring equipment in use for trade
- a local builder was prosecuted in relation to substandard building work and charging customers VAT when he was not VAT registered. After pleading guilty to unfair trading and fraud offences, the trader was sentenced to 30 weeks imprisonment suspended for 2 years and ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid community work. He was also ordered to pay £8,000 in compensation to the victims
- a Stockton trader was sentenced to 9 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months and ordered to undertake 300 hours of unpaid community work, after failing to complete landscaping work despite receiving payment up-front. He was also ordered to pay the victims over £7,000 in compensation
Share this page
