Introduction to South Tyneside Trading Standards
Overview
Trading Standards' mission is:
"To promote a fair and safe trading environment for the public and business community in South Tyneside "
We are committed to providing an accessible front line public service designed to meet the needs of the local community.
Using a programme of planned actions which are linked to the Council's priorities our service is designed to deliver:
- Informed successful businesses
- Informed confident consumers
- A fair and safe trading environment
- An efficient, effective and improving service
Our service objectives
- To ensure that consumers and businesses within South Tyneside are protected against fraud, unfair trading practices and unsafe goods or services
- To provide advice, assistance and support to the business community of South Tyneside including verification of equipment and other calibration services in partnership with the other Tyne & Wear Local Authorities
- To deliver this service Trading Standards has an establishment of 5 staff, who handle all complaints, enquiries and service requests. They also carry out planned inspections, sampling, surveys and special projects.
- We handle criminal complaints against companies or businesses trading in South Tyneside, investigate any offences and, where necessary and proportionate, take further action against offenders.
If you want to complain to Trading Standards, please see getting consumer advice and making a complaint on the Citizens Advice Consumer website or call 0808 2231133.
Our responsibilities
Some of the areas we are responsible for include:
- advertising and description of goods or services
- safety of consumer goods
- estate agents
- credit and loans
- weights and measures equipment
- hallmarking
- doorstep crime
- rogue traders
- counterfeit goods
- Illegal tobacco & 'Tab Houses'
- underage sales
- pricing
- and much more
Who we work with
We work closely with a wide range of other agencies and organisations, including:
- Citizens Advice consumer service - to provide first line consumer advice
- Department of Health -tobacco control
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - for support on explosives (fireworks) storage and licensing
- Northumbria Police - for work on crime reduction and assisting each other during operations
- Tyne & Wear Fire and Rescue Service - for petroleum and fire safety advice.