We are here to protect the interests of consumers and businesses.
We aim to achieve this through education and the regulation and enforcement of legislation through inspection of business premises in accordance to their risk category rating.
To find out more information upon Trading Standards Services within Carmarthenshire please follow the links in the left hand menu or alternatively visit The Trading Standards Central Website a one stop shop for consumer protection information in the UK.
What Services do we provide?
We aim to create a fair trading environment for residents, businesses and visitors to Carmarthenshire.
To enable this we offer the following Trading Standards Services;
- We inspect trade and business premises to make sure that laws concerning product quality, product safety, fair-trading, metrology and price are complied with.
- We test metrology standards at our Metrology Laboratory in Carmarthenshire County Hall, which has Notified Body Status local standards of mass, length and capacity, traceable to national standards.
- We provide local business advice and second-tier consumer advice and a dedicated enquiry service upon fair-trading, trading descriptions, legal metrology, product safety and quality standards.
- Where it seems that a trade or business has breached consumer protection legislation, we will investigate and take appropriate action, which may include instituting legal proceedings
- We implement and participate in a number of proactive initiatives aimed at educating business and consumers in Carmarthenshire.
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What powers do we have?
Our Officers have the power to enter and inspect trade and business
premises, inspect all goods and documents, make purchases and take samples.
Items can be seized and detained if the inspecting officers feel they may be needed as evidence if any law is breached.
- It is a criminal offence to obstruct an officer who is trying to carry an inspection. The Trading Standards Officers have no power to close businesses down or to enforce refunds to the consumer.
- All disputes involving poor quality goods or services, can be taken to the civil courts. It is the Civil Courts who have the power to close businesses down or to enforce refunds to the consumer.
- Trading Standards may institute legal proceedings against a trade or business, if they are found to be breaching consumer protection legislation. If found guilty a fine may be imposed or in extreme cases, imprisonment can occur.
- The main areas of criminal law that we enforce are as follows: - short weight or measure, safety of consumer goods, false or misleading descriptions relating to goods and services, product counterfeiting, failure to display selling prices of goods and misleading price indications, consumer credit malpractice and age restricted sales.
