We have received a report that individuals have been cold calling at properties in Ipswich, offering to inspect the solar panels on the roof.
If you are approached, please report them immediately to us via 0808 223 1133.
Our normal advice is to never agree to anything, including a home visit, when approached by a cold caller on the phone, at your door or via email. Do your research first, and find out if it is a product or service that you want or require.
You may be entitled to a grant to help you with the cost of energy improvements on your home, but don’t trust a cold caller who advises you that you are.
In Suffolk you can contact Suffolk Energy Action locally on 0345 0371234, or call Simple Action Energy on 0800 444202. Both will be able to clarify the current grants available, and what you may be eligible for. More information can be found here: https://www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk/
The introduction of the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) has led to criminals creating fake websites designed to look like that of the NHS. The sites claim to either fast-track or manage your application process before charging you an up-front fee.
It’s important to remember that the GHIC, which replaces the European Health Insurance Card, is FREE to use and can only be obtained directly via the NHS website.
You also don’t need to apply for a GHIC until your current EHIC expires.
You can report scam ads appearing in paid-for space online by visiting the Advertising Standard Authority’s website where you can complete their quick reporting form.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), the UK’s national product safety regulator, has issued a Safety Alert to warn of the risk of serious injury and death from swallowing small high-powered magnets.
The OPSS Safety Alert follows increasing reports of injuries from ingestion of magnets, particularly among children and young people. OPSS has identified a particular hazard arising from the use of high-powered magnets in products, where the magnets can be swallowed, such as fridge magnets, earrings, tongue piercings and drink charms.
Businesses and online platforms have been reminded of their obligations under product safety law. They must remove from the market products containing small magnets which breach the safety requirements of the Toy Safety Regulations or the General Product Safety Regulations.
Specifically, businesses and retail platforms are advised to remove from the market any products that breach the magnetic flux index where there is a risk that magnets may be ingested by a child. They must also ensure that clear warnings are included with any products that contain magnets, where there is a risk of ingestion.
The public is being asked to take appropriate steps to keep these products away from children as ingestion could result in a serious or fatal injury. Parents or guardians should understand the signs of magnetic ingestion (stomach pain, vomiting and fever) and act quickly to get immediate medical treatment if they believe a magnet has been swallowed.
In March 2021, an awareness campaign was launched to highlight the dangers of small, high powered magnets, in conjunction with Child Accident Prevention Trust, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.
There have been several incidents involving children and young people swallowing small magnets and there is a very real risk of serious injury or worse.
If a child swallows the small balls, magnets effectively burn holes in their intestines or bowels. The magnets stick together internally and through organs and tissues, and can cut off blood supply causing tissue to die. They are much more complex than button batteries to extract.
The child will need emergency surgery, then, depending on the severity of the injuries, they may need numerous operations, bowel resection and time in paediatric intensive care.
You can help us to raise awareness of the dangers of these products by sharing these images on your own social media accounts:
Be wary of fake emails asking you to update your payment details or personal information.
Emails received may state that your account is “on hold” due to payment issues with links provided leading to genuine-looking websites designed to obtain your login details.
Criminals often use seemingly official logos to convince you that emails are genuine and so it’s important that you challenge whether they could be fake.
Don’t automatically click on links and always login to your account directly using a secure webpage or app.
If you receive a scam email forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk
Lifting of the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone means that the enhanced biosecurity measures have been lifted. Bird gatherings are also allowed provided we have been notified 7 days in advance and the current conditions of the general licence have been met. However high standards of biosecurity are important all year round. Taking the following actions will reduce the risk of disease in your birds:
Fencing off ponds, streams, boggy areas or standing water and draining them where possible.
Netting or covering ponds.
Keeping birds in fenced enclosures.
Keeping ducks and geese separate from chickens and turkeys.
Removing any wild bird feed sources.
Deterring wild birds by regularly walking through the area or by using predator decoys.
Cleansing and disinfecting concrete or other permeable areas.
Limiting the number of people who come onto the site.
Using disinfectant foot dips when entering and exiting enclosures or houses.
To a Weights and Measures Officer, size really does matter . . . .
Did you know that in 2019 it is estimated that over £100bn worth of food and soft drinks, almost £35bn worth of vehicle fuels and fluids such as oils and coolants, and over £23bn worth of meat and fish was sold primarily by weight and measure to UK households?
Although many basic foodstuffs such as bread, butter and flour are required to be pre-packed in certain quantities, consumers have no way of verifying the quantity of products they have purchased, such as the weight of vegetables from a greengrocer, meat from a butcher or the volume of alcohol purchased in a pub.
Trading Standards officers regularly carry out checks on a wide range of instruments used to weigh and measure goods in the public domain to test for their accuracy. Additionally, fuel pumps are tested by Trading Standards Officers for accuracy and to make sure they are sealed to prevent adjustment or fraud.
These checks ensure that both consumers and businesses can be confident of dealing fairly.
If you suspect you may have been sold an item where the weight or quantity is in doubt please call us via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.
Tesco is recalling Tesco Free From 4 Toffee & Vanilla Cones because they contain milk which is not mentioned on the label. This means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents.
Pack size: 4 x 110 ml
Batch code: L10233L1
Best before: end of July 2022
If you have bought the above product and have an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents, or follow a vegan diet, do not eat it. Instead return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund. If you require further details, please contact Tesco’s Customer Services directly on 0800 505 555.
