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Month: November 2023


‘Crime doesn’t pay’; Rogue builder told to pay back over £200,000

Our Service prosecuted a rogue builder earlier this year, and now that builder could be paying out for ‘the rest of his life’. Samuel Harvey, of Greenbank Road, Barnstaple, was … Continue reading

Black Friday warning: if it’s too good to be true, it probably is

Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service is warning consumers to be wary of scams when shopping online this Black Friday.  New research shows more than one in four … Continue reading

Tradesman who pressured vulnerable customer fined

A tradesman who pressured a vulnerable pensioner into paying £2,000 to have loft insulation removed and then bombarded her with aggressive calls demanding she pay the £5,000 balance, has been … Continue reading

‘Toolkit’ will help protect students from scams

Our trading standards service is encouraging students and young people to use a new online‘toolkit’ to help them guard against scams.   A recent survey (2022) found that a third … Continue reading

Rogue trader ordered to repay elderly victim £27,500

A rogue trader has been ordered to pay almost £40,000 after convincing a pensioner to let him carry out roofing work that wasn’t needed. The victim, from Somerset, used her … Continue reading

Illegal tobacco seized

Illegal tobacco and vapes worth almost £100,000 have been seized from five premises across Plymouth. Acting on intelligence, officers from our trading standards service, visited six commercial and retail premises … Continue reading

Has your home been damaged by Storm Ciaran? Beware of rogue traders…

Our trading standards service is urging householders, particularly the elderly and vulnerable, to be on their guard for rogue traders who might try to take advantage of the damage caused to … Continue reading


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