North Somerset Public Protection

03/06/2025

Avoid nasal tanning sprays or nasal tanners entirely. These products can produce nasty side effects, such as nausea and vomiting, high blood pressure, respiratory issues, and even links to skin cancer.

Nasal tanning sprays should be avoided entirely. Safer and healthier options should be considered, such as topical tanning lotions and sprays. Consumers should also understand the risks of buying products from online marketplaces, as they can be counterfeit or contaminated.

Discover more about the risks of using nasal tanning sprays at https://tradingstandards.uk/cosmetics.

02/06/2025

It is now illegal for businesses to sell, supply, or have in their possession for supply, any single-use v**es. Single use v**es are identified as those v**es not being refillable or rechargeable or the ability to replace the coil.

The ban applies to:
🚫 Online and in shop sales
🚫 All single use v**es whether or not they contain ni****ne.

For further guidance on the ban and the potential penalties for failing to comply with the law follow the link - www.gov.uk/guidance/single-use-v**es-ban

21/05/2025

21/05/2025

💸 Would you pay a stranger in a pub up-front for a concert or sports ticket?
❎ No?
🤨 So why do it online?

Find out more: https://orlo.uk/jzMdE

19/05/2025

Whenever unsafe food is recalled, the Food Standards Agency send out a food alert via text message and email.

It may be because:
❌ there’s a risk of food poisoning from e.g. salmonella or listeria 🤢
❌ the food is contaminated with plastic, glass or metal 🔩
❌ it contains undeclared allergens 🥜

Sign-up to the alerts service and get updates to your phone when this happens via the link ➡️ https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/subscribe

14/05/2025

☠️ Co-op and M&S have been hit with major cyberattacks in the past few weeks, causing disruption to online orders and stock availability in stores.

Co-op has since warned that the hackers – understood to be a criminal group named 'DragonForce' – have accessed a 'significant' amount of data from 20 million past and current members.

This data includes names and contact details, but not passwords or any financial information.

M&S has not disclosed whether customer data has been stolen.

If you're worried about your data, read the information from Which? to find out how to stay safe against ransomware scams and how to protect your information after a cyberattack ➡️ https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/what-to-do-if-youre-worried-about-the-ms-and-co-op-hacks-asrvB1U7al4n

13/05/2025

🚨 Warning new pet microchip scam

Chartered Trading Standards Institute Lead Officer Katherine Hart has issued a fresh warning this week about a sophisticated scam preying on pet owners.

💻 Fraudsters are impersonating legitimate pet microchip databases, sending convincing emails claiming your pet’s chip registration has “expired” — demanding £29 to “renew” it. But pet microchips don’t expire and this is a complete scam.

🐾 Katherine warns: “Microchips do not expire and as well as being ripped off, pet owners could then risk a government fine of up to £500 if their animal is not registered with an approved microchip database.”

CTSI is urging pet owners to check with their actual chip provider before acting on any unexpected renewal request, and not to rely on Google ads or random emails to manage pet data.

✅ Always use a government-approved microchip database: www.gov.uk/get-your-dog-cat-microchipped

📞 For consumer advice, contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133

You can read Katherine's full articles at:
www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/social-media-scam-warning-to-pet-owners-2drnbf08x
www.sundaypost.com/fp/microchip-scam/

Authorities have issued a scam warning over emails sent to pet owners by scammers posing as legitimate microchip companies.

10/05/2025

Getting updates about , , and other exotic notifiable diseases is simple.

Sign up here to receive the latest information. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apha-alert-subscription-service

09/05/2025

📢 Calling all local v**e businesses

On Thursday 15th May, 1:00pm - 2:30pm, Recycle Your Electricals will be joined by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Environment Agency, Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Trading Standards and the Office for Product Safety and Standards for an online webinar. They will explain the legal environmental obligations that all producers, importers and retailers must comply with. These obligations include covering the costs of takeback and recycling of disposable v**es pre and post ban.

You can register for the webinar here: 94e8da51-9840-4d90-b180-5a84fcdf3879@2c84613a-6159-4b8b-a1d1-5f3da55ca13b" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/94e8da51-9840-4d90-b180-5a84fcdf3879@2c84613a-6159-4b8b-a1d1-5f3da55ca13b

01/05/2025

We've been informed that one of our newsagents in Weston-super-Mare has been approached by phone to pay some licence fees in cash.

It appears this is a scam and luckily the licence holder contacted us to check before paying.

The Institute of Licensing have issued a statement asking licence holders to be careful and to contact the licensing office if they have any concerns.

[email protected]

A council in north London has said it needs to bring back tougher rules to deal with "rogue landlords" of houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs).

30/04/2025

Found some pasta at the back of the cupboard?

If your dried pasta has been stored correctly and the packaging isn’t damaged, then it's OK to use for up to three years beyond the best before date. After that you may notice a deterioration in quality and texture.

So, don’t regretti binning good spaghetti, especially on Stop Food Waste Day!

30/04/2025

Asda has been fined £410,000 after Cornwall Council Trading Standards found dozens of out-of-date items on sale at its Penryn store, including children’s yoghurts.

Supermarket giant Asda has been fined £410,000 for selling food past its use-by date following an investigation and prosecution by Cornwall Council Trading Standards. The investigation was launched after members of the public complained about out-of-date food being sold at the grocer’s store in P...