UPDATES: Two shop workers have been sentenced after admitting offences linked to the sale of counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes from a Loughborough store. The case marks the fifth successful prosecution under Operation Hind, a county-wide crackdown on illegal tobacco and vaping products ...

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 ...

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 ...

UPDATES: A Leicestershire cattle farmer has been fined nearly £11,000 after admitting serious breaches of livestock movement and TB testing laws. Authorities say repeated failures put animal health, the food chain and the rural economy at risk - with dozens of cattle entering the food chain without proper notification ...

UPDATES: Trading Standards teams across the East Midlands have uncovered alarming levels of unsafe cosmetic products on sale, with more than three quarters failing safety checks. From banned ingredients linked to cancer and reproductive harm to dangerously high chemical levels, the findings reveal serious risks for consumers - and stark differences between national chains and independent retailers ...

UPDATES: Trading Standards officers in North Northamptonshire have seized illicit tobacco worth an estimated £258,000 from a self-storage unit in Kettering. Acting on community intelligence, officers uncovered thousands of illegal cigarettes and tobacco products in a joint operation with police - highlighting the links between illegal tobacco, organised crime and risks to public health ...

UPDATES: Lincolnshire Trading Standards has carried out its largest-ever illegal tobacco seizure, removing more than 320,000 illicit cigarettes and 165kg of hand rolling tobacco in coordinated raids with police. Two shops were closed for three months as officers warned of links to organised crime, public safety risks and serious fire hazards ...

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 ...