News Carmarthenshire scoops national award WISSANU / SHUTTERSTOCK Carmarthenshire Trading Standards has been named joint winner of the Trading Standards and Environmental Health category at the MJ Local Government Achievement Awards. The team was proud to accept the award after impressing judges with its Money Wise scheme. The project was developed to help people in particular, children and young families to understand money better, including how to save and spend wisely. As well as winning one of the top awards of the night, the team was highly commended in the Innovation in Partnership category for its Financial Exploitation Safeguarding Scheme (FESS). This is a multiagency initiative that aims to protect vulnerable people against scams, fraud and repeat exploitation. It was also shortlisted for the Delivering Better Outcomes category. Comedian Dara OBriain presented the gongs at an exclusive ceremony at Londons Hilton hotel in June. The MJ Awards recognise council teams that deliver outstanding and innovative services to its residents, and are seen as a pinnacle of public service excellence. Jim Jones, executive board member for public protection, said: I am so very proud of the Carmarthenshire Trading Standards team, which has stood out, not only from other trading standards teams across the UK, but also from a diverse range of other local council services. We were thrilled to be named nalists in three categories but to walk away with one of the top awards and be highly commended in another really shows the quality of service our dedicated team of trading standards ofcers offer here in Carmarthenshire. Car-dealer scammer sentenced to 21 months in prison miles from car odometers, tricking victims into thinking they were buying a low-mileage car when, in some cases, the vehicles had more than 150,000 miles on the clock. Doug Walkman, team leader for Derby Trading Standards, said: Ramiar used false names and false addresses to try to hide his identity it took a great deal of time and effort to identify him and bring him to justice. Baggy Shanker, cabinet member responsible for trading standards, said: The financial losses suffered may well take the victims many years to recover from and we hope this sends a clear message to anyone contemplating clocking cars and thinking they will get away with it. FOAMFOTO / SHUTTERSTOCK A 34-year-old man from Normanton, Derby, has pleaded guilty to six charges of tampering with vehicle performance records. Aro Ramiar was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment for offences under the Fraud Act relating to the supply of clocked cars, fake service books and MOTs. Ramiar removed around 500,000 Scambuster Teams investigation leads to prison terms Six people have been sentenced to a total of ve years and nine months imprisonment for unfair trading practices relating to a number of kitchen businesses in Oldham, which cost consumers 2.6m. The businesses were found to have unlawfully used the B&Q trademark to mislead consumers. False claims were also made about the quality of their kitchens, sales and delivery procedures, and the nature of their after-sales service. The two-year investigation by the National Trading Standards Scambuster Team (Yorkshire and the Humber) hosted by City of York Council was sparked by more than 1,700 complaints made to the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline between February 2011 and August 2014. Complaints concerned businesses operating under a variety of trading names, including Kitchen Units, Kitchen Uber, Interior Home Designs of Rossendale, Manchester Kitchen Company, Lancashire Interior Home Designs and Stilhaus Kitchens. The court heard evidence from a sample of more than 300 customers who had complained to the helpline, and sentencing was in June. Five of the defendants pleaded not guilty to all allegations and were convicted by a jury, while a sixth pleaded guilty. A seventh individual, whom the defendants claimed was the person behind the businesses, remains at large and is believed to be living abroad. A warrant for his arrest was issued in December 2013. Lord Toby Harris, chair of National Trading Standards, said: These criminals took deliberate steps to mislead and deceive consumers over a number of years, leaving them out of pocket by some 2.6m. I would like to thank all of those involved for their diligent efforts in bringing these criminals to justice. Nigel Ayre, executive member with responsibility for trading standards at City of York Council, said: This investigation the rst prosecution by our nationally recognised team of experts shows that scams will be identied and the perpetrators sentenced. Consumers have rights which we will uphold. The sentences: Five of the defendants, who had pleaded not guilty to all allegations, were sentenced as follows: G Martin Sersen, 25, of Rochdale two terms of 15 months imprisonment, the second term to be served concurrently G David Alan Hourigan, 41, of Bacup, Lancs two terms of 18 months imprisonment, the second to be served concurrently G Richard Brundrett, 41, of Bacup, Lancs nine months imprisonment G Nicola Brodie, 39, formerly of Rochdale two terms of imprisonment, the first for 12 months and the second for six months, to be served concurrently G Matthew James Leak, 24, of Rochdale two terms imprisonment, the first for six months and the second for three months, to be served concurrently The jury acquitted the five defendants of charges of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering. Karen Stocks, 43, of The Quadrant, Manchester, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to three jail terms, to be served concurrently the first for nine months, the second for five, and the third for two. Trading standards prosecute drivers after concerns from public Six drivers have been fined by Oxford magistrates for breaching weight restrictions on roads in the county, after reports came in from concerned residents. Oxfordshire Trading Standards thanked the people who came forward with the information that enabled the team to bring successful prosecutions against lorry drivers. Six defendants pleaded guilty by post, while one case was withdrawn. The fines ranged from 480 to 780 for each driver. Trading standards operations manager Jody Kerman said: The majority of our cases now come from concerned members of the public. I think this shows the level of potential harm and disruption that can come from heavy goods vehicles using unsuitable roads. The majority of drivers obey weight-restriction areas, but those who dont not only pose a danger, but also gain a competitive advantage over those who follow the rules. We conduct checks at locations across the county, and investigate all public reports. 20,000 of illicit goods seized in anti-counterfeiting operation Trading standards ofcers and North Lanarkshire police seized more than 20,000 worth of illicit goods from the village of Newmains during an operation in May. The counterfeit goods including branded footwear, clothing and tobacco were being advertised for sale online. The individual behind the actions, a 43-year-old female, is now the subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal. A large sum of money, along with computer equipment, was also seized for further investigation. Michael McPake, convenor of North Lanarkshire Councils environmental services committee, which oversees trading standards matters, said: This is another example of the excellent working relationship that has been developed between our trading standards service and Police Scotland. We will continue to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to counterfeiting, a crime that damages the economic potential of legitimate business and may fool members of the public into buying poor-quality and unsafe goods.