VGSToCkSTuDio / SHuTTErSToCk News Councils report soar in mattress scams Trading standards departments have been cracking down on rogue traders selling illegal mattresses after councils and fire authorities reported a sharp increase in complaints from consumers about cheap mattresses sold online or from the back of a van. The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents 370 councils and all fire authorities, is warning that the scam mattresses typically fail all fire-safety tests and pose a serious fire risk to the public, as well as being filthy and unhygienic. The items are often old, discarded mattresses that have been recovered and repackaged to look new. Some sellers use genuine brand names on mattresses and vans to fool people into thinking they are getting a bargain. They try to entice prospective customers by describing the mattresses as clearance stock or as going cheap after a local hotel ordered too many. Some issue professional-looking paperwork to buyers, but this contains false or limited contact details, which makes it almost impossible for the consumer to get their money back under the 14-day cooling off period. Recent action by local trading standards Devon and Somerset Trading Standards has issued a warning to residents after complaints about scam mattress sales increased tenfold in two years from two in 2014 to 20 between January and August 2016 Dorset County Council has prosecuted a trader for possessing 213 mattresses and supplying two, all of which failed fire-safety tests. The seller received a suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay 500 costs. The council has also prosecuted an online business for selling mattresses that failed fire-safety tests. The firm was fined 2,000 Enfield Council has prosecuted a father and son who used false trademarks on mattresses and misleading van signage. They were ordered to pay 3,520 and 21 mattresses were seized Derby City Council has warned of a rogue trader selling mattresses for 180 from a van, after a victim paid for a lumpy, useless mattress mrSA found in british pork raising concerns for public health. The research also found that a loophole in import regulations means MRSA CC398-infected live pigs can come in from countries such as Denmark, where the disease is viewed as a major public health crisis. Imported pigs are thought to be the main cause of the spread of the bug. Currently, there is no screening programme for MRSA CC398 on British farms. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: The government is reviewing options for surveillance, which will be proportionate to the very low health risk posed by livestockassociated MRSA. VCHAl / SHuTTErSToCk British pork sold in Asda and Sainsburys has been found to contain an MRSA variant, according to new research by The Guardian and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. The tests were carried out on 97 meat samples, three of which were found to carry a livestock version (MRSA CC398) of the superbug, Warning from trading standards as cases of exploding e-cigarettes rise Trading standards teams, fire chiefs and surgeons have come together to alert people to the potential dangers of burns from e-cigarettes. The warning comes after a rise in the number of people being treated by surgeons for burns caused by e-cigarette batteries exploding in pockets, hands and even in peoples mouths, causing horrific injuries. Earlier this year, a man had his teeth blown out and suffered burns to his face, neck and hands. Trading standards officers are warning people to only buy e-cigarette products from reputable retailers and to check for the CE safety mark. They are also advised to check that the packaging is complete and to question the price if it is less than similar products. Dangerous e-cigarette batteries may have been illegally imported or be counterfeit. Consultant surgeon Dai Nguyen said she has seen catastrophic injuries similar to those caused by being shot in the face by a gun. Surgeons are so concerned by the injuries they are now dealing with that they have written a paper highlighting the cases and calling for tougher import regulations on e-cigarettes coming into the UK. Staffordshire County Council is reminding its residents of the dangers. Communities leader Gill Heath said: This is a fairly new product to the market, though its use is now widespread. The rise in serious injuries resulting from faulty e-cigarettes is a stark reminder thatpeople need to be extra careful about the products they buy. Wewould therefore urge people to ensure they are buying the genuine article from legitimate retailers. Around 2.2 million people smoke e-cigarettes in the UK, and firefighters attend at least one blaze a week caused by the gadgets. The Local Government Association has called on manufacturers ofe-cigarettes to do more to warn of the dangers. public opinion in the bag Research has shown that around 90 per cent of shoppers in England now take their own bags with them when they go food shopping, up from 70 per cent before the carrier bag charge was introduced just over a year ago. The results from Cardiff Universitys study show that support for the charge has risen from 51 per cent to 62 per cent since it was introduced in October 2015. There has also been an increase in public willingness to consider other waste-reduction schemes, such as a charge on plastic bottles which could potentially impact on industry and government policy. Professor Wouter Poortinga, who led the research, said: Weve seen that the [plastic bag] charge has become increasingly popular with the English population since it was introduced, and that it has changed attitudes towards waste policies. This suggests that other, similar policies could be successfully implemented, such as a deposit-return scheme on plastic bottles or a charge on disposable coffee cups.