Prison sentence: A landscape gardener has been handed a suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay compensation for a string of offences, including defrauding his victims out of thousands of pounds, after Suffolk Trading Standards pursued a conviction against him. Darren Moore, 42, of Old Warren Farm, Wimbledon, traded as Darren Moore Garden Landscaping & DIY and operated across Suffolk. He first came to the attention of Trading Standards after a consumer complained of his poor work in April 2022. An investigation was subsequently launched into Moore, during which statements were taken from eight witnesses who alleged that he had acted dishonestly by taking payment for his services but failing to complete the work. Collectively the witnesses paid over £10,800 to Moore, £2,900 of which was refunded to three of the customers, leaving the rest out of pocket by almost £8,000. Concerns were also raised about the quality of work carried out by Moore, with an independent chartered surveyor concluding that these “fell well below an acceptable standard” and that “the amount paid by consumers for his work was completely excessive”. In addition, Suffolk Trading Standards uncovered that Moore had failed to return all monies owed to creditors and acted dishonestly in his communications with customers. At a hearing at Ipswich Magistrates Court on 22 May, Darren Moore pleaded guilty to carrying out garden landscaping work for a fraudulent purpose, contrary to Section 9 of the Fraud Act 2006. Today Darren Moore was sentenced to 4 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, ordered to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work within the next 18 months, and pay £15,309 in compensation and legal costs. Councillor Andrew Reid, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for Public Health and Public Protection, added: “I welcome the sentence delivered and am pleased that the court recognised the financial loss caused to the victims. Suffolk Trading Standards takes a hard line on businesses that flout the law and this case should send a message to all that rogue traders will not be tolerated in Suffolk. I would urge residents who are thinking of having home improvement work carried out to always obtain two or three quotes before making a decision and to never pay a trader until the job is completed to your satisfaction.” Graham Crisp Suffolk County Council’s Head of Suffolk Trading Standards, said: “Darren Moore’s offending has sadly left a number of Suffolk residents out of pocket. I hope this sentence goes someway to provide justice to them. I would like to thank those victims who assisted with our investigation as without them, behaviour like that of Darren Moore can go unpunished.” Anyone who believes they may have been the victim of a fraudulent or substandard trader should contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.
Warning to Ukrainian guests and hosts: We have received a report from a guest who was telephoned by an individual claiming to be calling from Suffolk County Council. The caller advised that they needed bank details and further personal information, to be able to pay them a support payment. The victim hung up and reported it to the Homes for Ukraine team who confirmed they had not made the call. In order to make payments to hosts, Suffolk County Council will get in touch to request your bank account number and sort code. This is the only information they will ask for. They will clearly explain who is calling and what information is needed. Never give your bank account details to someone you do not know. If you have any concerns, please contact a member of the Homes for Ukraine team at refugee.support@suffolk.gov.uk Report any scam calls to us via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.
Single-use plastics: From 1st October 2023 business will no longer be allowed to supply single-use plastic plates, trays and bowls, single-use plastic cutlery or balloon sticks. Business must also not supply ready-to-consume food and drink in polystyrene containers.
The ban on these items will include:
- online and over-the-counter sales and supply
- items from new and existing stock
- all types of single-use plastic, including biodegradable, compostable and recycled
- items wholly or partly made from plastic, including coating or lining
‘Single use’ means the item is meant to be used only once for its original purpose.
You can prepare your business for the new rules by:
- using up existing stock before 1 October
- finding re-usable alternatives to single-use items
- using different materials for single-use items
If you continue to supply banned single-use plastics after 1 October, you could be fined. There are some exemptions to the ban, depending on the item. www.gov.uk/guidance/single-use-plastics-ban-plates-bowls-trays-containers-cutlery-and-balloon-sticks
E-bike batteries: E-bikes and e-scooters are becoming increasingly popular and many fire services have reported an increase in incidents related to these products. The fires are often linked to the use of lithium batteries used to power them. Lithium batteries store a significant amount of energy in a very small space. They are much more powerful than other types of battery. If there is overheating or damage to the battery packs, overcharging or short circuiting (e.g., through water ingress), then a fault can easily occur within damaged battery cells which may cause the battery to fail catastrophically. The battery can explode and/or cause a rapidly developing fire. The wrong chargers or substandard chargers and batteries will also significantly increase the fire risk. The advice to consumers is if purchasing an e-bike or e-scooter, e-bike conversion kit, or replacement charger and batteries, only use a reputable retailer. There are many products available online which are substandard, do not meet safety requirements and can be extremely dangerous. If you think you may have purchased a substandard product you should stop using it immediately and contact Trading Standards via 0808 223 1133. If you see any signs of fire such as the battery smoking or flames, raise the alarm, get out, stay out and call 999. Always charge e-bikes clear of exits and away from your escape routes in case a fire does occur – if they catch fire, they will block your only route out of your home. Charge batteries in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and unplug them when the charge is complete. Regularly inspect batteries for signs of damage. If you notice any damage then don’t charge or use the battery. Only charge batteries when you are awake and alert so you can respond quickly and safely if a fire should occur – do not charge batteries when you are asleep. If a battery is slow to charge or not holding charge it should be replaced. If it gets hot, bulges or you hear hissing noises when charging, unplug and don’t use it. Install at least one smoke alarm on each level of your home. Test them once a month to make sure they work.
Recalls:
Protein powder: The Food Standards Agency is urging consumers not to consume a recalled protein powder because it contains caffeine at levels that could be fatal. Home Bargains has recalled 1.5 kg bags of Sci-Mx Nutrition Ultra Muscle Strawberry Flavour, with a best before date of March 2025. Testing of the product found that it contained over 5000 mg (5 g) of caffeine per serving. If consumers followed advice on the packaging to have two helpings per day, this would give them a daily dose of over 10,000 mg, (10g). For most individuals, 10 g of caffeine can be a lethal dose. However, doses as low as 3 g have been identified as lethal for certain sensitive individuals. FSA Head of Incidents, Tina Potter, said: “If you have purchased this product, do not take the risk of consuming it. High levels of caffeine can cause anxiety, sleeplessness, agitation, palpitations, diarrhoea and restlessness, and individuals with a mental health condition can experience worsened psychosis. In this case, the exceptionally high levels of caffeine could mean the consequences are even more severe and perhaps even fatal.” Affected products can be identified by the batch codes, W110429, W110430, and W110431which can be found next to the best-before date on the packaging.
Gas hobs: The UK’s product regulator has served Suspension Notices on eight businesses to stop the supply of certain models of gas hobs. This is a result of an ongoing investigation by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) following a series of gas safety incidents, including an explosion at a caravan park in April this year, where a person suffered serious burns. OPSS is investigating the elbow joints on specific gas hobs supplied by these businesses that have the potential to cause a gas leak. OPSS is also seeking assurance from those businesses of the actions they are taking to inform consumers and address the risks from any affected hobs they have already supplied. The companies who have received notices are: Kingfisher International Products Ltd, Buy It Direct Ltd, Glen Dimplex Home Appliances, Apelson Appliances UK Ltd, Lancaster Holdings Ltd, Maurice Lay Distributors Ltd, The Wright Buy Ltd, and Product Care Trading Ltd.
Belling / Stoves Gas Hobs
Cooke and Lewis Gas Hobs
Cata / Culina Gas Hobs
Caple Gas Hobs
Cookology Gas Hobs
Electriq Gas Hobs
Russell Hobbs Gas Hobs
Statesman Gas Hobs
The affected models are listed on the OPSS Product Recalls and Alerts pages www.gov.uk/government/news/opss-issues-gas-hob-suspension-notices
Anyone who smells gas should contact the National Gas emergency helpline on 0800 111 999.
Read further details of what to do in a gas emergency: www.gassaferegister.co.uk/gas-emergency/what-to-do-in-a-gas-emergency/
Shark bath toys: Zuru recalls 7.5 Million Baby Shark and Mini Baby Shark Bath toys with hard plastic top fins due to risk of impalement, laceration and puncture injuries to children
Robo Alive Junior Baby Shark Sing & Swim Bath Toys (full-size)
Robo Alive Junior Mini Baby Shark Swimming Bath Toys (mini-size)
When using the recalled bath toys, particularly in a bathtub or wading pool, a child can slip and fall or sit onto the hard plastic top fin of the shark, posing risks of impalement, lacerations and punctures. Zuru is aware of 12 reports of children falling or sitting onto the recalled full-size Baby Shark bath toy, resulting in impalement injuries, lacerations and puncture wound. Nine of the incidents required stitches or medical attention. There have been no reported incidents or injuries involving the Mini Baby Shark bath toys. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled bath toys and contact Zuru for a full refund, in the form of a prepaid virtual Mastercard. Consumers should disable the tail fin (by cutting it on the full-size bath toy or by bending it on the mini-size bath toy), mark the body of the shark bath toy with the word “recalled” and the unique code provided during registration for the recall, then upload a photo of the product, showing it is disabled and marked, at www.recallrtr.com/bathshark. Upon receipt of the photo, Zuru will issue a refund to purchasers. This recall involves both full-size Robo Alive Junior Baby Shark Sing & Swim bath toys and Mini Baby Shark Swimming bath toys. The recalled full-size Baby Shark bath toys sing and swim when placed in water. They have a hard plastic top fin with three grooves on one side, measure about 7-inches from nose to tail and were sold in three colors: yellow, pink and blue. They were sold individually and in packs of three. The recalled full-size bath toys have tracking label information on the bottom, including raised lettering that states model number “#25282” and a date code beginning with the letters “DG” followed by “YYYY/MM/DD” in the date range DG20190501 through DG20220619. Only full-size Baby Shark toys with a hard plastic top fin are included in this recall. The recalled Mini Baby Shark bath toys swim when placed in water but do not sing. They have a hard plastic top fin, measure about 4-inches from nose to tail and were sold in three colors: yellow, pink and blue. They were sold individually, in packs of two or three, and as part of a Baby Shark Music Water Park playset. The recalled mini-size bath toys have tracking label information on the bottom, including raised lettering that states model numbers “#7163,” "#7175,” “#7166,” or “#25291” and a date code beginning with the letters “DG” followed