A conman who intimidated people across Kent into paying for shoddy workmanship on their driveways, has been ordered to repay his victims a total of £68,330 in compensation. A lengthy investigation by Kent County Council’s Trading Standards began in 2013 and led to 12 months’ imprisonment for Owen Saunders, of London Road, Wrotham, in June…
A horse-dealer who conned clients out of thousands of pounds by falsely describing the health and condition of some of the animals she sold has been jailed. Karen Ruston previously pleaded guilty to 11 offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and two offences under the Horse Passport Regulations 2009 in a…
More than 35 victims who were ruthlessly targeted on their own doorsteps by a rogue building company have seen justice served after the company’s sole director, William Henry King, was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Maidstone Crown Court. King had previously admitted engaging in unfair trading practices through his company,…
Potentially life-threatening LED Christmas lights have been seized by Kent Trading Standards. They were discovered on sale through an online auction site and were brought to attention by a Dover resident who received an electric shock when they were plugged into the mains. Tests revealed the lights were poorly constructed, using inferior components, and leaving access…
Investigations by KCC Trading Standards played a major part in bringing a persistent doorstep conman to justice. Between February and April 2015 Patrick Doran and his company, Quality Style Paving Limited, targeted four victim households in Kent, carrying out substandard and significantly overpriced driveway work. Doran (25) was jailed for a total of 27 months…
Businesses are invited to find out more about the new Consumer Rights Act – the biggest shake up in consumer law in over 50 years. Kent County Council Trading Standards, supported by Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, is hosting free training sessions during National Consumer Week to help businesses understand and comply with the new…
A banker stopped an elderly woman being ripped off by rogue traders after they drove her to the bank to withdraw cash. Grandmother Maria Ranson from Bearsted was targeted on her doorstep by a man and a woman who attempted to pressurise her into having her driveway re-laid. When she told them she did not…
Kent County Council Trading Standards is asking residents to report sightings of rogue traders. Help us and Kent Police catch the rogues before they cause misery, devastation and financial hardship to you and someone you know. How can you help? Has a doorstep trader offered or have you received a leaflet offering the following…
A campaign aimed at tackling the problem of New Psychoactive Substances – the so-called “legal highs” – in Kent has achieved significant success. Officers from KCC and Medway Trading Standards, with the support of police, targeted 16 town centre shops across the county where substances were seized in raids last summer. At that time, more…
The work of Kent County Council’s Community Wardens saw them receive an award for protecting consumers in the county. They received the Hero Award at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute’s Conference in Bournemouth. Community Wardens work in partnership with KCC Trading Standards, police and local authorities and have campaigned to prevent and reduce scam crime…
A man selling fake perfumes, pocketing over £120,000, has been jailed for 16 months. Patrick Morris, 65, operated his online knock-down-priced business a-bit-of magic.co.uk from his home in Deal. Alongside him in the counterfeit con was godson James Cumming, 42, who described himself as an online shop manager. Cumming was jailed alongside Morris for six…
More than 1,200 potentially lethal hot water bottles have been seized by KCC Trading Standards officers and later destroyed after arriving on a lorry through the Port of Dover. Details on the packaging of the bottles – designed as a furry dog and clearly intended for use by children – were obvious signs that the…