Barking and Dagenham Council is determined to protect its residents and the Trading Standards team play a pivotal role in this by ensuring local businesses don’t sell illegal products or items to underage children.
From April 2022 to March 2023, Trading Standards Officers carried out test purchases at over 150 different businesses on products including illegal tobacco, vapes, alcohol, knives and fireworks sold to young people. In total officers tested:
- 53 businesses for illegal tobacco – three failed
- 22 businesses for illegal vapes/e-cigs – five failed
- 37 businesses for alcohol – five failed
- 37 businesses for knives – five failed
- 10 businesses for fireworks – one failed
These test purchasing operations are important to ensure that businesses are not selling illegal products to residents or items to young people, which are meant for adults only.
Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “We’re determined to ensure that our residents can shop safely when out in the borough and these test purchasing operations play a huge part in this.
“Illegal products could have harmful ingredients that impact on people’s health and selling to a child under the age of 18 could lead them down a path that could get them addicted to smoking or drinking alcohol.”
The council plans to continue with these operations with a focus on knives and vapes.
If a resident of business selling products illegally, they can report them to the council by emailing tradingstandards@lbbd.gov.uk.