News Cornish farmers appeal to have sheep ban lifted fails A 59-year-old part-time farmer has failed in his attempt to appeal a ban preventing him from keeping sheep at his farm in Ramtor, Rosenun, Liskeard. The ban was secured by Cornwall Council in July 2010, under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The council originally prosecuted Andrew Arnold in 1998, when he was given a seven-year ban from keeping cattle after a number of joint inspections with State Veterinary Service vets. In 2010, Arnold was found guilty of welfare offences against sheep, again after inspections carried out by Cornwall Council and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs local animal health vets. On this occasion, he was banned from keeping all farmed animals for ve years. In 2013, the council again prosecuted Arnold after visits revealed he was keeping sheep in breach of his previous ban, and for further sheep welfare problems. An extra nine months were added to Arnolds on-going ban from keeping sheep. At a hearing at Bodmin Magistrates Court in January, Arnold addressed the magistrates, giving his reasoning for the ban to be lifted. His brother, David Arnold, also gave evidence. The council opposed Arnolds appeal. After considering the evidence, the magistrates refused Arnolds appeal and awarded 400 costs to the council. The current courtimposed livestock ban will, therefore, stand until April 2016. Allan Hampshire, the councils head of public protection and business support, said: We are pleased with the outcome of this case, which demonstrates the councils commitment to upholding orders of the court, and ensuring the health and welfare of farm animals to maintain the good reputation of the farming industry in Cornwall. Young are more likely to fall for scams Young adults are more likely than their parents and grandparents to transfer money to a fraudster, according to new research. People under the age of 25 could be much more vulnerable to scams and techniques such as vishing than pensioners, according to a poll. New online research has found that nearly one in six 16 per cent of 18-25-year-olds who have a bank account would authorise a money transfer into a safe account if someone they believed worked for their bank instructed them to do so to investigate a security breach. This compared to only one in 17 six per cent of 45-54-year-olds, and just one in 14 seven per cent of those aged 55 and over. Safe account is a term used by fraudsters and would never be used by a bank. This information and other useful tips to avoid being scammed are included in Eight things your bank will never ask you to do, part of the banking industrys Know Fraud, No Fraud campaign. Consumer complaints on the rise STOCKCUBE / SHUTTERSTOCK West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service (WYTSS) has experienced an increase in consumer complaints, and expects more, after the government announced further grants for energy-efficiency measures. WYTSS said some businesses claim they can offer government grants under the Home Improvement Fund, for example when really they were simply inflating their prices to then offer their own discount. No government grant is actually offered. Such traders typically sell double glazing, boilers, home insulation, solar panels and damp proofing. Most of the complaints received relate to traders cold calling consumers in their homes, by telephone or door knocking. In November 2014, the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline received calls from 81 West Yorkshire consumers complaining about businesses offering energysaving grants and discounts. The nature of the complaints included traders who claimed they were from the council and: G Offered a free energy-efficiency survey G Offered free solar panels, when, in fact, consumers were unknowingly signing credit agreements G Asked for deposits for boilers and windows, and then didnt complete the work or return deposits G Stated that rebates and cashback were available, but these never materialised G Checked windows with devices and told consumers that their glass is not energy efficient WYTSS is investigating and said it would take legal action against traders who preyed on the elderly in their own homes and made misleading claims in relation to energy-saving measures. SHOP-BOUGHT BREATHALYSERS FAIL THE TEST Tests carried out by Dorset Trading Standards have revealed that shop-bought breathalysers were inaccurate and pose a road-safety risk for motorists. Of the 14 devices tested, nine indicated that the user was still safe to drive when the legal drink-drive limit had actually been exceeded. Officers also found false claims of links to the police on four of the devices, which were bought over the internet. Ivan Hancock, trading standards service manager for Dorset County Council, said: Our research shows that there is a wide variety of cheap breathalyser kits available for sale on the internet. Our tests have highlighted that the majority of these are unreliable and may give anyone using them a dangerously false sense of security. We have also identified some being sold with descriptions that cannot be substantiated, which are likely to mislead anyone buying one. Drivers are warned not to rely on these devices if they intend to drink and drive.