Last week Suffolk Trading Standards officers seized illegal vapes and illegal tobacco from shops in Lowestoft and Sudbury. In Lowestoft, officers seized 495 illegal vapes from a retailer. The vapes did not meet the legal requirements, including some which offered as many as 10,000 puffs when a legal vape would offer around 600. Vapes were also found to be over-stickered to disguise the nicotine content in the device. In Sudbury, officers seized 206 illegal vapes, with puffs from 3,500 to 18,000. Officers also seized 132 packets of illegal tobacco. All the tobacco products are suspected to be illegally imported into the UK without duty being paid and do not comply with the legal packaging and labelling requirements. Several of them are also suspected to be counterfeits of popular brands. The seized products will now be fully assessed as part of the investigations to determine the exact offences that have been committed. Consumers can protect themselves by looking out for the following to ensure the vape that they are purchasing is legal:
- The tank of a vape is a maximum size of 2ml, and the largest refill bottle is 10ml in size or less
- All liquids should come in childproof bottles displaying nicotine warnings and have an accompanying safety leaflet
- Vapes should have a nicotine strength of no more than 20mg/ml or 2%
- A maximum number of around 600 puffs is offered
Anyone who suspects that a shop is selling illegal tobacco or unsafe e-cigarettes and vaping liquids, or making sales of age-restricted products to children can report this in confidence to Suffolk Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.
Please beware of scammers exploiting London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) changes. Criminals are creating fake websites to trick people into paying a charge. A Suffolk resident discovered this week that they had been a victim of fraudsters when a Penalty Charge Notice from Transport for London was received through the post. The resident had unwittingly paid the ULEZ charge on a fake website.
- Make sure you are on the official TfL website which is secure with a padlock in the search bar. Search engines might not always show the correct website at the top, so it’s important to scroll until you find the correct one.
- Check the charge amount. Is it £12.50?
If you think you might have been tricked into the wrong website, call your bank immediately and report it to Trading Standards on 0808 223 1133.
Beware of a fake La Fromagerie du Plateau page on Facebook. This is not affiliated with La Fromagerie du Plateau. The competition post on the scam page offers an assortment of cheeses for just £3. The link within the post takes you to a fake page where they ask for personal details and a payment. Individuals who have interacted with the fake page have reported large sums of money taken from their bank account. There is no cheese on offer. The page has been set up by scammers for ‘like-farming’, using your interaction to steal personal data and your money. If you have given personal and financial details to these fraudsters, contact your bank immediately. The page was created in May 2024, whereas the real page for the business was created in September 2017. When interacting on social media, don’t just look at the competition post. Look at the page history, and the other posts on the page. Does it look genuine? If you come across a fake page on Facebook, report it by going to the page and tap *** from the top right and select “Find support or report”. and then select “Fake Pages”.
Watch out for FAKE solar panel emails. Action Fraud received 971 reports in the last two weeks about phishing emails relating to solar panels. The emails ask recipients to check their eligibility for funding to cover the upfront costs of installing solar panels. The link in the email leads to a request to enter financial and personal information or download malware. If you have doubts about a message, contact the organisation directly. Don't use the numbers or address in the message - use the details from their official website. Your bank (or any other official source) will never ask you to supply personal information via email. Spotted a suspicious email? Forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) - report@phishing.gov.uk
Are you are getting a full pint? Is your wine looking a little short? A report released by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has revealed that 70% of beer and wine served in UK pubs and bars is short-measured, resulting in significant financial losses for consumers. The study highlighted that an average beer drinker is losing approximately £88.40 annually, while a wine drinker loses around £114.40 per year due to under-pouring. 86% of beer was found to be short measured, along with 43% of wine. The largest deficit was 15% on a glass of wine. Read the full story here: www.tradingstandards.uk/news-policy-campaigns/news-room/2024/over-two-thirds-of-uk-beer-and-wine-is-short-measured The Weights and Measures Act 1985 controls the prescribed quantities that alcohol should be sold in, but there has always been a grey area over whether the head should be included as part of the pint. Industry body the British Beer & Pub Association says a pint should contain a minimum of 95% liquid and 5% head. However, the guidelines also state: "Requests from customers for top-ups should be received with good grace and never refused, subject to avoiding spillage of liquid."
At a glance, here are your pint rights:
- You're entitled to a pint filled to the brim, or the line if your glass has one.
- You should get at least 95% liquid.
- If you don't want up to 5% to be head, you can ask for a top-up.
So, if you are not satisfied, before taking a sip, you can pass your glass back to the server and ask for it to be topped up. If you have any concerns about being short measured, you can report it to Trading Standards via 0808 223 1133.
We know there has been a huge increase in the number of young people vaping in Suffolk. Our colleagues at Suffolk County Council Public Health want to understand more about this issue but they need your help! If you are a young person, parent or teacher in Suffolk, they want to hear from you. It takes just a couple of minutes to have your say.
If you're a parent or carer of a 9-18 year old in Suffolk please visit www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/parentcarerVaping/
If you're a teacher for 9-18 year olds please visit www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/teachervaping/
If you are 9-18 years old please visit www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/CYPvaping/
TK Maxx is recalling several models of wireless chargers which do not meet electrical safety standards. If a metal object is placed near an affected charger during use, the charger can overheat which may cause it to melt or damage property, and the metal object may burn the skin if touched.
Brookstone BK15-4QL1F-WT / JJT-A80
Cleverworks / Gentek 60055
Gentek 20052
LAX MAG15VNT
Lifestyle Advanced LASP-2800SM
Merkury Innovations MI-QIS07-101
SimplyTech IFR-MOUNT
Tech Theory TT-MARVC-01
If you purchased a wireless charger of one of these brands, please stop using it immediately and return to any TK Maxx or Homesense store for a full refund.