Consumer Advice

The City Council no longer provides a Consumer Advice service. Consumers can access any advice that they may need through the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133 or by visiting adviceguide.org.uk.

To report someone you suspect of selling illegal goods please submit an online report.

Avian Flu

Mandatory housing measures for all poultry and captive birds were introduces to all areas of England on 7 November 2022, following a decision by the United Kingdom’s Chief Veterinary Officer.

The housing measures legally require all bird keepers to keep their birds indoors and to follow stringent biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks from the disease, regardless of type or size.

Following an increase in the number of detections of avian influenza (bird flu) in wild birds and on commercial premises, the Chief Veterinary Officers from England, Scotland and Wales have now declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across Great Britain to mitigate the risk of the disease spreading amongst poultry and captive birds.

The AIPZ means bird keepers across Great Britain must:

• Keep free ranging birds indoors, and that ponds, watercourses and permanent standing water must be fenced off (except in specific circumstances e.g. zoo birds).

• Clean and disinfect footwear and keep areas where birds live clean and tidy;

• Minimise movement in and out of bird enclosures;

• Reduce any existing contamination by cleansing and disinfecting concrete areas, and fencing off wet or boggy areas

• Keep domestic ducks and geese separate from other poultry.

• Ensure the areas where birds are kept are unattractive to wild birds, for example by netting ponds, and by removing wild bird food sources;

• Feed and water your birds in enclosed areas to discourage wild birds;

Keepers should familiarise themselves with the avian flu advice and report suspicion of disease to APHA on 03000 200 301.

Poultry includes for example chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, pigeon (bred for meat), partridge, quail, guinea fowl and pheasants.

Captive birds are any birds kept in captivity, other than poultry, and includes for example – pet birds, birds kept for shows, races, exhibitions, competitions, breeding or sale.

You should register your poultry, even if only kept as pets, so we can contact you during an outbreak. This is a legal requirement if you have 50 or more birds. Poultry includes chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, pigeon (bred for meat), partridge, quail, guinea fowl and pheasants.

For further information go to Gov.uk

Newcastle Citizens Advice

Newcastle Citizens Advice offers free services providing general advice and information across a wide subject area. Amongst the many services Citizens Advice offers help with; debt, housing, benefit entitlements, consumer, and employment issues. They can be found at the City Library, New Bridge Street West, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AX or contacted on 03442 451 288 or via their website.

National Consumer Week

National Consumer Week is an annual campaign which aims to raise people's awareness of specific consumer issues, and provide support and advice for those who need it. 

We’ll be encouraging people to “be wise to being green”. It’s important that we take steps to be more environmentally friendly, like making our homes more energy efficient and installing energy technologies like solar panels. It can save money in the long run, and it’s good for the environment. It’s also an important part of how we can meet our UK climate change target.

But it’s also important that people feel confident when they’re making these decisions. 

That’s why we’re raising awareness of how people can protect themselves from misleading energy efficiency and environmental claims, such as “green scams” and rogue traders. With our advice and support consumers can arm themselves with the knowledge and confidence they need to make the best decisions.

EU Exit

Updated guidance on the changes can be found on Gov.uk   

Changes to toys and cosmetics legislation

The first statutory instrument amending the UK toys and cosmetics regulations has been laid before Parliament.  The Toys and Cosmetic Products (Restriction of Chemical Substances) Regulations 2022 make changes to the toy and cosmetic regulations annexes, either entailing an amendment to the permitted level or the prohibition of specific chemicals in toys and cosmetic products.  The changes in respect of CMRs in cosmetics and fragrance allergens in toys came into effect on 15 October, and changes in respect of chemicals assessed by the Scientific Advisory Group on Chemical Safety came into force on 15 December 2022.

You can find out further information by reading the Planned changes to toys and cosmetics regulations GOV.UK news article.

Which?

Which? Consumer Rights website is a resource to help consumers solve their biggest issues, from faulty goods and delayed flights, to dealing with scams and dodgy tradesmen. There are hundreds of easy step-by-step guides and letter templates available to help you seek redress, and simple summaries of important consumer legislation.

Northumbria University Student Law Office

The Student Law Office at Northumbria University offers a free legal service to members of the public facing a range of legal issues. The service is provided by students who are supervised by qualified professional lawyers from the School of Law staff. The Law office deals with over 800 cases annually and have successfully concluded a number of high profile cases. The Student Law Office can be contacted on 0191 2273909 or by email at studentlawoffice@northumbria.ac.uk.

Newsletter

The Trading Standards service with the aim of providing updates on our work, produces a newsletter twice a year. To access a copy of our newsletter go to High Standard (pdf 1.7 mb).