A visit or a letter from Trading Standards can be unsettling, especially if you are not sure what you have done wrong. The most important thing is not to panic, and not to ignore it.
What does Trading Standards do?
Trading Standards is part of your local council. It enforces the laws that protect customers, such as:
- product safety
- prices and misleading descriptions
- weights and measures
- food labelling
- age-restricted sales, such as alcohol, tobacco, vapes and knives
- fake or counterfeit goods
How might they contact me?
Officers can visit your premises, write asking for information or documents, or invite you to a formal interview under caution. An interview under caution is serious: what you say can be used as evidence in court.
What should I do first?
- Stay calm and be polite. Officers have the power to inspect, so cooperate with reasonable requests.
- Keep everything. Do not throw away or change any records, products or paperwork.
- Write down what happened during any visit, including who you spoke to and what was taken.
- Do not attend an interview under caution without advice. You are entitled to have a solicitor with you.
- Check your products and processes, and fix any problem you find straight away.
Do I have to answer their questions?
You must let officers inspect and give them certain documents when asked. In an interview under caution you can stay silent, but saying nothing can sometimes count against you later. That is exactly why it is worth taking advice before you decide what to say.
What can happen next?
Many cases end with advice or a warning letter. More serious cases can lead to a formal caution or a prosecution, and fines for some offences are unlimited. A conviction can also damage your reputation, so getting the early stages right really matters.
How we can help
Some of our lawyers have worked as prosecution lawyers for councils, so we understand how Trading Standards build a case. At Reen Anderson Solicitors, we guide business owners through every stage of an investigation, from the first letter to the interview and, if needed, court.
If you would like to talk anything through, call us on 0207 101 2628 or email info@reenanderson.com.
This article is general information about the law in England and Wales, not legal advice on your situation.