Portsmouth Trading Standards Service

17/10/2026

And a bit more from this week - George in action with The Nose Knows K9 👇

16/10/2026

🚨 HIDDEN, BUT NOT WELL ENOUGH… 🚨

Portsmouth Trading Standards officers have completed a two-day enforcement operation, inspecting multiple premises across , , , and . This work formed part of Operation Machinize, the ongoing NCA-coordinated project to tackle money laundering and criminal use of cash-intensive high street businesses.

We had the assistance of Portsmouth Police and The Nose Knows K9 which helped to achieve multiple outcomes including 2 arrests, a temporary shop closure, phones seized and stash vehicles removed from the road.

The operation also resulted in multiple to***co, v**e and other counterfeit goods seizures, with officers uncovering goods concealed in a variety of locations, including vehicles and fridges, in apparent attempts to avoid detection.

🔍 Our message is simple: concealing illegal products will not prevent enforcement action.

Operations like this form part of our continuing work to tackle the illegal trade in to***co and related products across Portsmouth.

If you have information about illegal products being sold locally, please report it to Trading Standards to help us stop criminals operating in the high street.

National Crime Agency

15/10/2026

🚭💨 Training day for our Trading Standards officers!

Our Portsmouth Trading Standards officers recently attended a specialist session on spotting illegal to***co, v**e and other ni****ne products, hosted by Trading Standards South East as part of Operation CECE which is funded by HMRC.

Thankyou also to Wagtail UK Limited for the to***co detection dog demonstration.

But there's an important message for Portsmouth businesses too. 👇

If you sell to***co or va**ng products, know your stock and know your supplier! ⚠️

✔ Buy from reputable sources

✔ Keep invoices and supplier details

✔ Check products before they reach your shelves

✔ Be wary of deals that don't look right

✔ Make sure your staff know what to look out for

Taking care over what you buy can help prevent illegal products entering your business and protect the reputation you've worked hard to build.

Think before you stock. If in doubt, check it out. 🔎

**ng

14/10/2026

👉 Rogue traders can be good at hiding their true nature, so let us help protect you.

You can find a local Buy With Confidence member by entering your postcode and searching a wide range of trade categories at: https://www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk/

09/10/2026

🤖🎭 Could you spot an AI deepfake scam?

Criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to create convincing fake voices, videos, images and messages to scam people out of money or personal information. From cloned voices pretending to be a family member in distress, to fake celebrity investment adverts and highly convincing phishing emails, these scams are becoming harder to spot.

To help people stay safe, we're supporting The Deep Truth Project, a UK charity dedicated to helping the public understand deepfakes and synthetic media and how criminals are using them to commit fraud.

✅ Remember: seeing or hearing someone is no longer proof that they are genuine.
✅ Pause before acting on urgent requests.
✅ Verify independently using a trusted phone number or website.
✅ Never send money, share personal information or click links without checking first.

5 ways to protect yourself from deepfakes:
🔹 Agree a family code word.
🔹 Save trusted contact numbers.
🔹 Never rush to respond to urgent money requests.
🔹 Check information using channels you know are genuine.
🔹 Talk to friends and family about these scams.

Learn more about deepfakes and how to protect yourself at The Deep Truth Project: Deep Truth Project - https://www.deeptruthproject.org/

If you think you've been targeted by a scam, report it to Action Fraud and contact your bank immediately.

08/10/2026

⚠️ Product recall for Tesco F&F Glass Latte Mug. The product poses a risk of burns and injuries.⚠️

If you have this product, stop using it immediately. Return it to any Tesco store for a full refund.

Share this recall with anyone who may have bought or used the product. https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-recall-tesco-f-and-f-glass-latte-mug-2610-0017

For further information, please visit: 🔗https://digitalcontent.api.tesco.com/v2/media/ghs-roi/8eca1cc9-56b4-499d-8a4f-4b81f8ff7a5c/2631-WF-1495050-F%26F-Uk+%26+ROI.pdf or call 📲 0800 248 123.

07/10/2026

🚫 PREMISES CLOSED FOR ILLEGAL TO***CO SALES 🚫

Portsmouth Trading Standards has secured a Closure Order against V**e Land, Albert Road, Southsea, following evidence of the continued sale of illegal to***co products from the premises. Despite recent changes of ownership, the same offending had been evidenced continuously from the premises.

On Monday, Portsmouth City Council served a Closure Notice after Trading Standards officers demonstrated the nuisance and harm this criminality was causing to the local community. The premises has now been closed under a Closure Order granted by Portsmouth Magistrates' Court under Section 80 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The sale of illegal to***co undermines legitimate businesses, fuels organised crime, and makes cheap to***co more accessible within our communities.

We will continue to work with our partners to tackle the sale of illicit to***co and protect residents and responsible businesses across Portsmouth.

We have also been working in partnership with Portsmouth Police who have assisted with inspections and seized to***co during an incident at the premises which contributed to the evidence presented to the court.

If you have information about the sale of illegal to***co, please report it to Trading Standards - www.portsmouth.gov.uk/report-trading-standards

06/10/2026

⚠️ Asbestos Risk ⚠️

Please follow the recall advice below 👇

⚠️ Product recall for Primark Halloween Gonks

The product poses a health risk due to potential asbestos contamination ⚠️

If you have this product, stop using it immediately and keep out of reach of children. Please follow the recall instructions for details on disposal and/or return of the product.

Share this recall with anyone who may have bought or used the product.

https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-recall-primark-halloween-gonks-2610-0004

Further guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/asbestos-in-consumer-products

06/10/2026

⚖ Local Builder Pleads Not Guilty to Fraud and Building Regulation Offences

We were in court today [06/10/2026] for a first hearing following an investigation into a local builder who was contracted to build an extension in 2025. The trader is alleged to have made a number of false representations to the customer, and the work does not comply with building regulations.

The defendant entered a plea of Not Guilty to 12 charges.

The case has now been committed to the Crown Court for a Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing on the 9 November 2026.

A reminder that if you need to seek advice in respect of a trader undertaking works at your property, please do contact the Citizens Advice consumer service:

🔗 https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/if-you-need-more-help-about-a-consumer-issue/

05/10/2026

👉Have you noticed the Buy With Confidence tick-box logo and wondered what it represents? Or perhaps dismissed it as just another scheme with a fancy graphic?

The Buy With Confidence Trusted Trader scheme is different. It is run solely by local authority Trading Standards departments, which means every business displaying the logo has been thoroughly vetted and approved by Trading Standards — and that’s far more than just a tick-box exercise.

Trading Standards carry out detailed background checks on each applicant and continue to monitor them throughout their membership. So, when you see a business displaying the Buy With Confidence logo, you can trust that they are committed to trading honestly, fairly, and legally.

You can find a local Buy With Confidence member by entering your postcode and searching a wide range of trade categories at:
Buy with confidence - https://www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk/