Trading Standards Prosecutions

Should you or your company become the subject of trading standards investigation procedure, it is a matter that should not be ignored. Under these circumstances, it’s best to get in contact with specialist trading standards investigation solicitors at your earliest convenience.

DPP Law employs legal experts who specialise in trading standards investigation defence. We understand the complex nature of the regulations involved, and have lengthy experience in communicating with investigating officers.

Our Trading Standards investigation solicitors will work with you to build a strong Trading Standards defence based on your records and those of the National Trading Standards Board, and will provide you with support and representation throughout your case and in a court of law should you face Trading Standards prosecutions.

Trading Standards regulations are managed by the National Trading Standards Board and local authorities.

They exist in order to ensure that all businesses adhere to the same directives surrounding the welfare of consumers and suppliers, the treatment of products and livestock and the legal rights of other businesses and individuals. The current Trading Standards regulations were created in accordance with the Enterprise Act 2002 and Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Your company may be accused of a breach of Trading Standards regulation if you are suspected of:

• Animal welfare violations
• Consumer rights violations
• Copyright or trademark violations
• Failing to adhere to food safety standards
• Failing to observe fair trade regulations
• Incorrect food labelling
• The illegal sale of restricted products, for example selling alcohol to an underage customer

There are many further violations besides that may see you facing Trading Standards prosecutions. Trading Standards investigation solicitors will help you to prove that there was no breach, or that any misstep was entirely accidental or beyond your control.

Frequently Asked Questions

What powers do Trading Standards have?

Trading Standards officers’ powers include the power to enter your place of business with or without a warrant, to observe your company as it carries on with business, to ask for assistance from anyone on your premises, to demand that you produce certain information or documents – or seize that documentation if necessary, to purchase, inspect, test, seize or detain products or equipment, to break open containers and to switch off or decommission any of your fixed installations.

How long do Trading Standards investigations take?

The length of a Trading Standards investigation may vary depending on the nature of the supposed breach. However, the Local Government Ombudsman recommends that councils should take no longer than 12 weeks.

What do Trading Standards investigate?

Trading Standards investigators may be contacted to look into the sale of age restricted or potentially unsafe products, agricultural practices and animal welfare, fair trade matters, food standards and issues involving weights and measures, as well as consumer rights and possible breaches of copyright and trademark.

As the result of an investigation, Trading Standards authorities may serve you with a compliance notice or a simple caution, or request that you commit to an undertaking or issue an enforcement order or administrative penalty.

You may otherwise be prosecuted. In this case, the maximum penalty you may receive is a 14 year custodial sentence.

Whether you are concerned that you may be reported for a breach of Trading Standards regulations, or you have received notice of an investigation into your practices, contact DPP Law’s expert Trading Standards investigation solicitors today.