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Journal of Trading Standards, Online Edition - JoTS Online

Welcome to the Journal of Trading Standards online edition, JoTS Online. Browse through our latest Articles - including Analysis, Opinion Pieces, Features and a selection of articles from our acclaimed print journal.

Although many JoTS Online articles are open access (public), others are exclusive to CTSI Members - in which case, you'll need to login to access them. If you aren't a member of CTSI yet, you can join us here. And, if you'd like to contribute articles or suggest topics for us to cover, please email our Editorial Team.


Latest JoTS Online Articles : 

News Category Tags: Crime, Product Safety, Health and Safety, Counterfeit Goods, Retail, Animal Health and Welfare, Legal and Policy, Enforcement Practice, Product Recalls, Property and Housing, Automotive, Vapes, Business, CTSI Conference, CTSI Hero Awards.

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South West TS: Illegal Tobacco Products Closure

Posted: 29 July 2026


UPDATES: Four Torbay shops have been ordered to shut for three months after a major crackdown uncovered illegal tobacco and counterfeit cigarettes. Trading Standards and police say the operation highlights the scale of the problem - and warn further action is coming. With detection dogs helping uncover hidden products, the latest seizures could lead to even more closures ...

Leicestershire TS: Fans to Beware Fake Merchandise

Posted: 22 May 2026


UPDATES: With the World Cup fast approaching, Leicestershire Trading Standards has seized hundreds of suspected counterfeit goods - including fake England shirts, unsafe toys and illegal vapes - in a major raid at Measham Car Boot Sale. One man has been arrested as officials warn fans that bargain football kits could come with hidden dangers ...

Leicestershire TS: Tackling High Street Criminals

Posted: 09 April 2026


UPDATES: A Loughborough shop has been prosecuted after repeatedly selling illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco - despite multiple warnings. Hidden stock, undercover test purchases, and links to potentially dangerous substances paint a troubling picture ...

Counterfeit Tobacco Seller Prosecuted

Posted: 21 August 2025


UPDATES: A Barrow shop owner has been prosecuted after Trading Standards uncovered counterfeit cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco during a test purchase operation. Following the seizure of hundreds of illegal tobacco products, the seller was convicted in court - sending a clear warning that illicit tobacco sales harm communities and will not be tolerated ...

IPO Launches New Reporting Tool

Posted: 18 August 2025


UPDATES: The Intellectual Property Office has unveiled a new online Intelligence Gateway designed to streamline how suspected IP crime is reported and investigated. Replacing the old PIPCU referral form, the platform brings enforcement bodies, rights holders and police closer together - promising smarter prioritisation, stronger coordination, and a more effective national response to protecting IP rights ...

Jail Sentence for Fake Goods Seller

Posted: 24 July 2025


UPDATES: Two women who built a lucrative counterfeit goods operation on Facebook Marketplace have been sentenced after a Trading Standards investigation uncovered fake designer items worth tens of thousands of pounds. Despite clear warnings, the illegal trade continued - ending with one woman jailed for over two years and a stark warning about the scale and harm of counterfeit crime ...

Hefty Fine for Fake Watch Seller

Posted: 27 May 2025


UPDATES: A High Street jeweller has been fined after Trading Standards uncovered thousands of pounds’ worth of counterfeit designer watches on sale in a Northern Ireland shopping centre. The case highlights how fake goods deceive customers, undercut legitimate businesses, and why authorities are cracking down on traders who try to pass off counterfeits as the real thing ...

Counterfeit Trader Pleads Guilty

Posted: 19 May 2025


UPDATES: An online trader has been handed a suspended prison sentence after Trading Standards uncovered tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of counterfeit clothing sold through his business. From fake football shirts to sports memorabilia, the case highlights the scale of online counterfeiting - and the serious consequences for those who profit from it ...

 

Shop fined for selling illicit tobacco

Posted: 07 January 2025

UPDATES: Barking and Dagenham Trading Standards secured fines and costs of more than £5,000 after counterfeit tobacco was found at a Dagenham shop during an Operation CeCe inspection. The case reinforces the public health and consumer protection risks posed by illicit tobacco sales.
 

Wiltshire TS seize illegal goods

Posted: 25 November 2024

UPDATES: Wiltshire Trading Standards has seized counterfeit and unsafe tobacco and vape products from businesses in Chippenham, Devizes and Melksham, with prosecutions now being prepared after raids supported by Wiltshire Police.
 

Northern Ireland TSS takes on fakes

Posted: 28 October 2024

UPDATES: Northern Ireland Trading Standards Service seized more than £200,000 of counterfeit goods during targeted inspections, warning that fake fashion, accessories and electronics damage consumers, legitimate traders and the wider economy.
 

Vinyl fraudster ordered to pay up

Posted: 24 October 2024

UPDATES: Dorset Trading Standards has secured a further proceeds of crime order against a convicted counterfeit vinyl seller after investigators identified undisclosed assets linked to his £1.2m fake records operation.
 

Haul of fakes seized in Tameside

Posted: 04 October 2024

UPDATES: Trading Standards officers in Tameside seized hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth of illicit vapes, tobacco and counterfeit goods during coordinated raids, demonstrating the impact of intelligence-led operations against organised criminality.
 

Southampton TS seizes fake goods

Posted: 24 September 2024

UPDATES: Southampton City Council Trading Standards has seized counterfeit and illicit vapes, cigarettes, watches, handbags and scarves with a combined value of more than £100,000 during inspections of two local businesses. Working alongside officers from Hampshire Police on 7 September, the...
 

Operation Vulcan seizes £1m of vapes

Posted: 23 September 2024

UPDATES: Salford City Council Trading Standards Officers, working with Greater Manchester Police as part of the Operation Vulcan initiative, have seized approximately £1m of illicit and counterfeit vapes from a Cheetham Hill shop. The products were discovered behind a hidden door...
 

Deadly additive found in fake vodka

Posted: 04 September 2024

UPDATES: Food Standards Scotland and North Lanarkshire Trading Standards have warned consumers not to drink counterfeit Glen’s vodka after testing found isopropyl, a dangerous chemical that can cause poisoning, coma or death.
 

Fake goods seized in Middlesbrough

Posted: 30 August 2024

UPDATES: Counterfeit designer goods were seized during enforcement activity in Middlesbrough after Trading Standards officers uncovered fake luxury brands while responding to an unrelated street trading incident, leading to further investigations.
 

Illegal goods seized at car boot fair

Posted: 21 August 2024

UPDATES: Trading Standards officers seized hundreds of counterfeit garments and illegal disposable vapes during enforcement action at a car boot sale, highlighting the continuing challenge posed by illicit goods in local markets.
 

Counterfeit handbag seller guilty

Posted: 06 August 2024

UPDATES: Wiltshire Trading Standards has secured a suspended prison sentence and costs of almost £13,000 against a woman...
 

£500,000 of illicit goods seized at Fair

Posted: 12 June 2024

UPDATES: Westmorland and Furness Trading Standards seized counterfeit perfumes, fake designer sunglasses and potentially unsafe electrical goods worth around £500,000 at Appleby Horse Fair, in a multi-agency operation targeting illicit and substandard products.