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UPDATES: A Little Hulton convenience store has been forcibly shut down after repeatedly selling illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes, despite multiple raids and 31 public complaints. Salford City Council says the three‑month Closure Order sends a clear message after hidden stashes, test purchases and thousands of illicit items were uncovered ...

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UPDATES: A Salford van trader has been sentenced after a four-year fraud operation left customers thousands of pounds out of pocket. Fake MOT claims, forged service histories, clocked mileage and fictitious warranties were just some of the tactics uncovered. With 15 aliases and multiple victims involved, the investigation reveals the lengths rogue traders can go to deceive buyers ...

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UPDATES: Manchester City Council Trading Standards, working alongside Greater Manchester Police (GMP), has seized more than £386,000 worth of illicit vapes, cigarettes and counterfeit goods from premises across the city as part of a partnership operation intended to safeguard the local community from illegal and dangerous products...

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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 ...

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UPDATES: Lancashire Trading Standards has taken action against food businesses caught mis-selling kebabs after tests revealed undeclared meats including beef and chicken. Multiple prosecutions highlight a growing national issue around inaccurate labelling, with repeat offenders fined for breaching food safety laws and misleading consumers about what they were really eating ...

UPDATES: Lancashire test-purchase operations have exposed widespread illegal knife sales to under-18s, with young volunteers able to buy bladed items from more than a third of shops visited during Operation Sceptre.

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.

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...

UPDATES: Businesses across Workington, Silloth and Maryport have been praised after repeated test purchasing exercises showed staff consistently challenged young volunteers for proof of age before selling age-restricted products.

UPDATES: Two food businesses which failed to protect customers with allergies have been fined following prosecutions brought by...

UPDATES: Following a year-long investigation and seven raids, Bolton Trading Standards secured a rare Closure Order against a shop repeatedly selling illicit tobacco. Hidden compartments, counterfeit goods and sustained enforcement underline the scale of the operation and the message to offenders.

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.

ANALYSIS: Fraud does not end when the money is lost. Examining the lasting impact on victims - particularly older people - this feature explores why effective after-care, partnership working and long-term support are essential to tackling scams.

UPDATES: Lancashire Trading Standards brought down a prolific counterfeit poster operation after uncovering industrial-scale printing equipment and thousands of copyrighted images. The investigation exposed more than £1 million in fraudulent sales and ended with a three-and-a-half year prison sentence.

UPDATES: An illegal money lender who preyed on vulnerable people in Liverpool has been ordered to pay back £40,000 following a Proceeds of Crime Act...

UPDATES: Lancashire Trading Standards joined a multi-agency Preston day of action under Operation Centurion, seizing counterfeit cigarettes, illicit tobacco, non-duty paid alcohol, prescription-only medicines and non-compliant vapes as part of wider efforts to tackle anti-social behaviour and protect public health.

UPDATES: Cheshire East Trading Standards has received national recognition from the England Illegal Money Lending Team for its work to raise awareness of loan sharks, support safer communities and help expose unlawful lenders operating locally.

UPDATES: A man who set up sham energy companies to rip off small businesses has been handed a 13-year jail sentence following a complex and lengthy investigation by the National Trading Standards Regional Investigation Team (Nort...

UPDATES: Salford Trading Standards has seized a massive haul of illicit disposable vapes and e-liquids from a local company as part of ongoing efforts to rid the streets of dangerous and illegal products. With the support...

ANALYSIS: Something is happening in Manchester’s Cheetham Hill. Known as Britain’s ‘counterfeit capital’, a handful of streets have been home to dozens of organised crime gangs for as long as most Mancunians can remember. The UK...