Residents are being encouraged to take up the offer of a free electric blanket check, part of Oxfordshire County Council’s programme to ensure everyone is safe, as well as warm, this winter.

As electric blanket tests are normally very popular, they must be booked in advance to be guaranteed.

Sessions will be held at locations across the county. The full address and a specific time slot will be provided at time of booking:

September 2026:

• Monday 21: Thame
• Tuesday 22: Rose Hill, Oxford
• Wednesday 23: Banbury
• Thursday 24: Chipping Norton
• Friday 25: Abingdon

October 2026

• Monday 5: Didcot
• Tuesday 6: Barton, Headington
• Wednesday 7: Bicester
• Thursday 8: Witney
• Friday 9: Wantage

Of the 920 electric blankets tested at last year’s events, 338 failed safety assessments - a failure rate of 36.7 per cent, which is an increase from the previous year.

Councillor Kate Gregory, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, said: “This is something we have been offering for 26 years, free of charge, to our residents, and we encourage everyone to take advantage of it. If the condition of a blanket is allowed to deteriorate, there is a risk it could become faulty, posing a danger of injury or fire.

“Blankets and throws might fail a safety assessment for many reasons, and even quite new blankets can fail. This is why it’s important to have them regularly tested at one of our free annual events.

“We know electric blankets might not be top of your summer to-do list, but now is the perfect time to make sure yours is safe for winter.”

Appointments can be booked by visiting electric blanket testing, calling 01865 895999 (option three) or emailing duty.officer@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

The warning follows a series of Oxfordshire County Council trading standards’ investigations into the supply and sale of illegal tobacco products from retail premises across the county.

Officers have found businesses repeatedly selling counterfeit and smuggled tobacco from retail premises, undermining legitimate traders and depriving public services of vital revenue.

Councillor Kate Gregory, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, said: "We hear the concerns of residents who are worried about the changing face of some high streets and the impact organised criminality can have on local communities.

“The illegal tobacco trade is not victimless. It damages legitimate businesses, facilitates tax evasion, undermines public health measures and is frequently associated with wider criminality.

“Oxfordshire is not a soft touch. The council and its partners are committed to creating a hostile environment for individuals and organised crime groups who profit from illegal tobacco and launder the proceeds of their offending.”

Illegal tobacco is often linked to organised criminal groups, tax evasion, money laundering and the exploitation of vulnerable people.

Landlords are advised to:

• Carry out appropriate due diligence before granting a new tenancy
• Ensure there is a written tenancy or lease agreement in place
• Verify and retain identification documents for tenants
• Know exactly who is occupying the premises
• Know who is paying the rent and investigate where payments are made by someone other than the named tenant
• Seek legal advice before permitting assignments or subletting arrangements
• Include clear provisions allowing action to be taken where criminal activity is identified
• Respond promptly to concerns raised by trading standards, police or other enforcement agencies

Davina Walkin, Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Operations Manager, said: " The overwhelming majority of landlords want to do the right thing and would be extremely concerned to learn that premises they own were being used for organised criminality. We encourage landlords to act quickly when concerns are raised.

“Where we inform a landlord that criminal activity is taking place from a property they own, we expect those concerns to be taken seriously and acted upon without delay. Failing to act after receiving clear warnings may expose landlords to significant legal and financial risks."

Criminal groups often try to hide their involvement by using “ghost” directors, front companies, informal tenancy arrangements or third parties to pay rent.

Illegal tobacco is often sold at pocket money prices and avoids the safety, packaging and health warning requirements designed to protect consumers

Anyone who suspects illegal tobacco is being sold in their community can report it anonymously via the illegal tobacco hotline on 0300 999 6 999 or online at www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

An Oxford convenience store is set to have its alcohol licence revoked following a review by Oxford City Council’s licensing sub-committee brought about by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team.

At a hearing on Monday 27 July, councillors considered the licence held by Baweja Superstore, 334-335 Abingdon Road, Oxford, after being presented with evidence relating to the storage and supply of illegal tobacco, repeated breaches of tobacco display requirements, and concerns about the storage of fireworks at the premises.

After hearing representations from trading standards and the legal representative of the business, Oxford City Councillor James Taylor, chair of the licensing sub-committee, delivered the decision to revoke the premises licence.

Councillor Kate Gregory, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for public health and inequalities, said: “I would like to thank our trading standards officers for their vigilance and dedication in protecting Oxfordshire residents and supporting legitimate businesses.

“This decision sends a clear message that illegal tobacco and other unlawful activity linked to licensed premises will not be tolerated. We will continue to support robust enforcement action against those who undermine public health, community safety and honest traders.”

The application from the county council’s trading standards team detailed a series of concerns identified during an inspection on 29 October last year. Officers seized 89 packs of illegal cigarettes, including 55 confirmed as counterfeit and 34 identified as non-duty paid.

Officers also found tobacco products on open display and fireworks stored in a manner described by the explosives officer as “very poor”.

Further evidence presented to the licensing committee included previous enforcement action involving Tamanpreet Singh, the sole director, premises licence holder and designated premises supervisor of Baweja Superstore.

This related to the supply of illegal vapes at another business in Windsor, which led to a prosecution, and the recent seizure of illegal tobacco products from a separate shop in Hertfordshire, where he was also the premises licence holder.

Davina Walkin, Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards operations manager, added: “I’m proud of the work our officers have done in this case, and we will continue to pursue those who undermine legitimate businesses and put consumers at risk. Businesses involved in the illegal tobacco trade can expect us to take firm action.”

Anyone with information about the sale of illegal tobacco can report it anonymously by calling 0300 999 6 999 or by visiting www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Businesses and consumers across Oxfordshire are being warned about the risks of buying and selling counterfeit toys after the county council’s trading standards team seized a number of fake items during a recent inspection.

The team found fruit shaped squishy stress relievers and squeeze balls that were missing vital labelling information. Products marketed as NeeDoh Nice Cubes were also seized as counterfeit copies of the popular toy.

The seized toys were not labelled with the details of a UK manufacturer or importer.

Davina Walkin, Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Operations Manager, said: “Toys that are untraceable, with no UK manufacturer or importer details, mean there is no one to take legal responsibility for the product.

“These items often bypass mandatory safety testing and have been found to contain dangerous substances such as phthalates and benzene. If a toy cannot be traced back to a responsible UK business, it should not be on sale.

“We are reminding retailers that they must carry out proper checks on the products they stock and make sure toys have the correct markings, warnings and manufacturer or importer details.”

All toys sold in the UK should be labelled with:

• UKCA or CE safety markings
• Details of a UK manufacturer or importer, including name and address information
• Clear warnings and instructions

Councillor Kate Gregory, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, said: “It can be really easy as a parent to be drawn into buying a bargain toy for our children, especially as we try to keep up with the latest trends. But sometimes these can be too good to be true. Fake toys can lack important safety features and information that are required by law and, in some cases, could be harmful.

“We would urge parents and carers to check toys carefully before buying, particularly from unfamiliar sellers or online marketplaces, and to report anything they are worried about so our trading standards team can investigate.”

Anyone who has concerns about toys they have purchased or seen on sale can contact trading standards by calling the Citizens Advice national consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.

Details of how to spot a fake NeeDoh can be found online.

Information on product safety alerts and recalls for toys and other consumer goods can be found on the Office for Product Safety and Standards’ website.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

An Oxford man has been fined more than £2,000 after pleading guilty to several tobacco offences following an investigation by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team.

Sami Shridi, 47, of Marshall Road, Oxford, pleaded guilty at Reading Magistrates' Court on Friday 24 July to offences under tobacco legislation relating to waterpipe products, commonly known as shisha.

The court imposed fines totalling £506, a victim surcharge of £202 and prosecution costs of £1,625, making a total of £2,333 payable by Mr Shridi.

It also ordered the forfeiture of all seized tobacco products.

The prosecution followed an inspection of Thirst Bar, Park End Street, Oxford, where Mr Shridi operated a shisha business in the garden area.

During a visit in March 2025, officers seized more than eight kilograms of illegal shisha tobacco, which failed to comply with legal packaging requirements and was non-duty paid.

Officers found containers of tobacco products that did not carry the required health warnings and referred to smells or flavourings, which is prohibited by law.

Councillor Kate Gregory, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, said: "Tobacco products are heavily regulated for good reason. Health warnings, prohibitions on flavours and restrictions on advertising all exist to protect public health and reduce the harm caused by smoking.

“These rules are there to protect people, and this case shows why it is important that businesses take their responsibilities seriously.”

The investigation also identified social media posts from the bar promoting tobacco products, which has been prohibited in the UK for many years as part of measures to reduce smoking and protect public health.

Trading standards had previously provided written and face-to-face advice to Mr Shridi on tobacco legislation and compliance following earlier seizures in 2019 and 2020.

Davina Walkin, Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Operations Manager, added: “Businesses that choose to ignore these requirements gain an unfair advantage over those who comply with the law. We were particularly concerned that detailed advice had already been provided on the same issues, yet non-compliant products continued to be supplied and promoted. We will continue to investigate and take action where businesses fail to meet their legal responsibilities."

Trading standards is responsible for enforcing a range of tobacco legislation, including laws relating to advertising, packaging and health warnings.

Anyone with information about the sale of illicit or non-compliant tobacco and nicotine products can report it anonymously by calling 0300 999 6 999 or visiting www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

People are being encouraged to help drive out organised crime by reporting vehicles used as mobile storage for illegal tobacco to Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team.

This comes after recent multi agency operations uncovered two such vehicles, with illegal tobacco seized from both.

Parked vehicles, also known as ‘stash cars’, are increasingly being used by criminals to store counterfeit cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco. They are typically left near local shops, allowing sellers to replenish stock in small amounts and avoid detection during trading standards inspections.

Councillor Kate Gregory, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities said: “The sale of illegal tobacco disadvantages legitimate local businesses, undermines efforts to reduce smoking and funds wider organised crime gangs.

“Unregulated counterfeit products also pose a heightened health risk, as they bypass strict safety standards on fire safety and are often sold cheaply to children by criminals who do not care about age restrictions.”

Signs that a vehicle may be a ‘stash car’ include:

• Frequent and brief visits by individuals retrieving small bags or packages from the vehicle
• Vehicles parked for long periods near local convenience stores or vape shops that are regularly approached by staff
• Transactions taking place directly from the window or boot of a parked vehicle
• Vehicles that appear abandoned on private land, untaxed or without a valid MOT

Davina Walkin, Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Operations Manager, added: “If you see suspicious activity around vehicles near local shops, please tell us what you know. You can tell us anonymously. Your report can directly help keep our community safe and stub out the sale of these illegal products.”

Members of the public are urged not to confront suspected sellers, but to report any suspicious vehicle activity, including the make, model, registration number and location.

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco and nicotine products should call 0300 999 6 999 to report it anonymously or visit www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Residents and visitors to Wantage are being asked for their feedback on design proposals to improve the town centre and Market Place.

On Wednesday 10 June 2026, Oxfordshire County Council will launch a four-week survey to hear people’s views on the draft designs.

The design proposals have been developed following last year’s community engagement with local residents, businesses and councillors to help shape a vision to enhance Wantage Market Place, while improving walking, wheeling and cycling.

Officers from the county council have since been working with the local community to explore how space could be redesigned to the make the town centre a better place to spend time for shopping, leisure or business. There is also a key desire to support business by improving loading facilities. 

Councillor Gareth Epps, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “It was wonderful that we received such a wealth of feedback and inspiration from so many people last year. I am delighted to see how this has been realised in a draft design to support better active travel opportunities and create a vibrant, welcoming, and accessible town centre in Wantage, which is safer for residents and visitors.

"We want this plan to truly reflect local community needs and ideas, as well as support an increase in the size of the market and enable more community events.

“I am very much looking forward to hearing how people find the designs and what adjustments can be made. We are working hard to make sure the final designs are not only practical but also accessible for everyone.”

From 12 noon on Wednesday 10 June 2026, people can take part in an online survey on the county council’s digital engagement and consultation platform, Let’s talk Oxfordshire. The consultation will close at 11.59pm on Wednesday 8 July 2026.

The online survey will also be supported by two drop-in events for members of the public to find out about the project and speak to the team in person:

• Saturday 13 June 2026 – 10am - 4pm at The Beacon, Portway, Wantage, OX12 9BX
• Tuesday 16 June 2026 – 5pm - 8pm at The Beacon, Portway, Wantage, OX12 9BX

Feedback will help to identify any possible amendments that should be incorporated into the final design. The improvements will be delivered in two phases – construction on the West End is expected to begin in Autumn 2027, while the Market Place construction is anticipated to start once funding has been secured.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

A barber shop owner and his company have been fined after being caught selling illegal vapes, despite a previous warning from Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team.

Govand Ismaili, 29, Director of Govand Kurdish Barbers Ltd, which runs the shop in Abingdon, pleaded guilty to four offences at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Friday 15 May 2026 following a trading standards led investigation.

The court heard that, despite a warning issued after 484 illegal vapes were seized in September 2024, an undercover trading standards officer was sold an illegal vape in January 2025. More were then found hidden at the shop during a follow up inspection in February 2025.

The illegal vapes contained 10.8ml of nicotine liquid, well above the 2ml legal limit for disposable e-cigarettes, and the packaging did not meet the required standards.

Mr Ismaili and his company were fined £2,264, ordered to pay the council’s costs of £2,202 and a victim surcharge of £904.

He was also banned from acting as the director of a limited company for three years.

Councillor Judith Edwards, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Community Wellbeing and Safety, said: “We are committed to protecting residents, particularly young people, from the risks linked to illegal vapes. Businesses that continue to break the law, even after clear warnings, can expect us to act. We will not hesitate to investigate and prosecute where necessary, and we encourage anyone with concerns to report them so we can keep our communities safe.”

All the seized products were disposable vapes, which were banned from sale in the UK in June 2025.

Davina Walkin, Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Operations Manager, said: “We know that there has been a lot of public concern about the rising number of high street shops involved in the sale of vapes. As this prosecution shows we are taking firm steps to deal with any such businesses involved in the sale of illegal vapes.

“Since 2021, in Oxfordshire our officers have seized over 16,000 illegal vapes following dozens of inspections at premises like this. In addition, we have carried out multiple test purchases in stores targeting the sale of vapes to children, leading to prosecutions.”

Anyone with information about the sale of illegal disposable e-cigarettes or underage sales can email trading.standards@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Thousands of counterfeit cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco have been seized after Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team revisited premises already under investigation.

The action took place on the evening of Friday 1 May following raids at the same locations earlier in the year. The efforts form part of Operation CeCe, a national initiative funded by HMRC and led by National Trading Standards to tackle the illegal tobacco trade.

Earlier that same day, the director of one of the companies linked to the premises had been interviewed under caution. Despite this, when officers returned, they found more illicit tobacco hidden.

In total, 5,900 counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes and 950 grams of hand rolling tobacco were confiscated.

The latest seizure follows raids in March, when officers found more than 13,000 illicit cigarettes, almost nine kilograms of illegal tobacco products, nicotine pouches and single use vapes at seven locations across Cowley and Headington.

The two premises in question were revisited after evidence suggested the illegal activity was continuing.

Investigations are ongoing. The businesses could face criminal prosecution, financial penalties and licence reviews.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “We hear people’s concerns about the changing face of their high streets and the rise of shops used as fronts for crime. Our message is simple: stop funding organised crime. Every time someone buys counterfeit cigarettes, the money helps criminal activity take hold in our communities.”

Davina Walkin, Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Operations Manager, added: “Despite previous enforcement action and clear warnings, some businesses are still willing to take the risk. These latest seizures show we are even more determined to act whenever and wherever necessary, including late at night and over bank holiday weekends, to protect our communities.”

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco can call 0300 999 6 999 or report it anonymously online at www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

The case, involving seizures of illegal vapes at Matean Market, 128 Hollow Way, Oxford, was heard at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on Monday 27 April.

Shafiullah Malikzadeh, 38, of Northampton, was found by the court to have been the owner of Matean Market in 2024 and was subsequently convicted of all eight offences.

He was ordered to pay £3,000 in fines, a £1,200 victim surcharge and costs of £4,755.50, making a total of £8,955.50.

The court heard that trading standards officers tried several times to meet with Mr Malikzadeh in 2023 to provide advice on tobacco and related products, but he failed to attend a meeting and did not respond to other requests.

Officers subsequently inspected the premises on one May 2024, seizing 32 unit packs of vapes which contained nicotine containing liquid of up to five times the maximum permitted level.

Mr Malikzadeh was offered the opportunity to attend a meeting and to voluntarily surrender the seized items but again failed to respond. As a result, two more covert test purchases were attempted on 31 May 2024, and illegal vapes were sold on each occasion. A further inspection on 18 June 2024 resulted in more illegal vapes being seized.

After failing to respond to a request to attend an interview under caution, he was sent a questionnaire to his home address, and a copy was hand delivered to the shop. This resulted in legal proceedings being instituted.

At court, Mr Malikzadeh, who represented himself, denied that he was the owner of the business at the time and claimed the response to the questionnaire had not been sent by him.

He could not explain why three separate letters sent by officers to his home address had not been received and claimed documents found at the shop, purporting to show he was the owner, were false.

However, the court found that, on the weight of evidence, it was satisfied he was the owner at the time of the offences.

Davina Walkin, Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards operations manager, added: “Shockingly, this is now the eighth different person who has been prosecuted in connection with activities at Matean Market. We will continue to relentlessly pursue anyone involved in the illegal tobacco and vape trade.”

Matean Market is now under new ownership and at its last inspection was in full legal compliance.

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco and nicotine products should contact 0300 999 6 999 to report it anonymously or visit www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Carried out on 29 and 31 March, the team visited seven shops across Cowley and Headington, accompanied by specialist tobacco detection dogs.

Also seized were 123 units of nicotine pouches and 51 single use vapes, with the total street value of the haul was approximately £7,500.

Investigations are ongoing, with premises facing potential criminal prosecution, additional sanctions, including civil financial penalties, and licensing reviews. 

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Community Safety: “There is no such thing as a safe cigarette, but it is still very concerning that counterfeit versions are so widely available, sold at pocket money prices by criminals who don’t care who they sell to. Thank you again to our brilliant team for their work.

“We know it can be hard to stop smoking, but help is available to anyone living in Oxfordshire. People are three times more likely to successfully stop by using a service like Smokefree Oxfordshire. It’s free to everyone living in the County”.

The raids formed part of Operation CeCe, a national initiative to tackle the sale and supply of illegal tobacco products, funded by HMRC through a partnership with National Trading Standards. 

Individuals suspected of having no legal right to work in the UK were also identified and trading standards is liaising with Immigration Enforcement.

Davina Walkin, Oxfordshire County Council's, Trading Standards Operations Manager added: “The public can help us to create a healthier and safer Oxfordshire by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious activity, anonymously if preferred, using our hotline. The illegal tobacco criminality is relentless at the moment - but so are we.”

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco should contact 0300 999 6 999 or report it anonymously online at www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk.  

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

The Warm Homes Local Grant, a scheme run by Oxfordshire County Council in partnership with Welcome the Warmth, is designed to help eligible households improve the energy efficiency of their homes, reducing heating costs and improving comfort, particularly for those on lower incomes and living in less energy efficient properties.

Improvements include insulation, low carbon heating, and solar panels, depending on eligibility and property type.

The scheme is fully funded by the government, meaning residents who qualify do not have to pay for the measures covered by the grant.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, said: “Everyone deserves a warm, comfortable home that’s affordable to heat. The Warm Homes Local Grant is helping Oxfordshire residents lower their energy bills, improve their health and comfort, and cut carbon emissions at the same time.

“By fully funding measures such as insulation, low carbon heating and solar panels, this scheme is supporting households through the cost of living pressures while also helping us take practical action on climate change.”

The county council’s trading standards team is also taking the opportunity to remind residents to stay aware, as some individuals may attempt to take advantage of the situation through unsolicited doorstep visits or pressure-based sales approaches.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing and Safety, said: “The Warm Homes Local Grant can make a real difference to people’s lives – helping households stay warm, reduce energy bills and cut carbon emissions, all at no cost to eligible residents.

“But it’s vital that people feel safe and confident. We want to be absolutely clear: the council will never cold call you about this scheme, or any other for that matter. If someone turns up at your door or contacts you out of the blue claiming to be linked to a council grant, please don’t feel under any pressure to engage. We can confirm whether a company is genuinely connected to the scheme, and keep a close oversight of all approved and associated businesses, and can provide independent reassurance whenever needed.”

All installers working on the scheme are subject to a rigorous vetting and onboarding process, including checks on qualifications, accreditations, insurance, health and safety standards and customer satisfaction. Installers are not permitted to use the scheme to upsell additional work, and strong quality assurance checks are in place.

There are three steps residents are urged to take to protect themselves when dealing with cold callers:

• Never agree to home improvement work on the doorstep
• Never hand over personal or financial details to cold callers
• Take time to check and verify information independently – the council’s retrofit team can assist with this 

Residents who think they may be eligible are encouraged to find out more and apply directly through official channels. Find out more about the scheme by visiting the council’s website or by contacting the retrofit team on retrofit@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Concerns about cold callers, misleading claims or suspected fraud should be reported to Oxfordshire County Council Trading Standard

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

A company and its director have been fined for illegal tobacco and nicotine product offences following an investigation by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team.

Arafh Aliammad, 42, of Eldon Court, Glasgow, the owner and director of Empire Barber 2 Ltd, 15 Oxford Road, Kidlington, pleaded guilty to all offences on behalf of himself and the company at a hearing at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Friday 13 March.

Mr Aliammad and the company were ordered to pay £2,936.95 in fines and costs, bringing the total to £5,873.90.

The court heard that trading standards officers inspected the premises on 21 January 2025, seizing 59 unit packs of nicotine pouches and a numbered display of 30 dummy boxes of illegal electronic cigarettes, or vapes. The display created the impression that the products could be legally sold when they could not.

Officers also identified an open display of tobacco products, which is prohibited by law, and found that no A3 tobacco warning notice was displayed, despite this being a legal requirement. The business had previously received written advice from trading standards on similar issues in 2024.

In mitigation, Zee Raja, representing Mr Aliammad, told the court that his client had learned from this experience and was committed to ensuring he did not appear before the court again.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “Illegal tobacco and nicotine products have no place on our high streets. Our trading standards officers work tirelessly to protect residents from products that are unsafe, unregulated and highly addictive, and this case shows that we will take robust action where the law is ignored.”

Mr Aliammad is also due to appear before Reading Magistrates’ Court on 25 September 2026 in relation to allegations of illegal tobacco and nicotine product offences committed at a different premises in Oxford, which he denies.

Davina Walkin, Trading Standards Operations Manager at Oxfordshire County Council, added: “Our trading standards officers will continue to take firm and proportionate action to disrupt the illegal sale of tobacco and nicotine products. Where businesses ignore the law or fail to act on previous advice, we will not hesitate to step in to protect the public.”

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco and nicotine products should contact 0300 999 6 999 to report it anonymously or visit www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk.

More information

Nicotine is highly addictive. Nicotine pouches are not currently age-restricted and, unlike vapes, there is no bespoke legislation limiting their nicotine content. A Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) study (May 2024) showed that 18 per cent of the surveyed male players and 22 per cent of the female players use nicotine pouches.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Yummy Thai Restaurant Ltd and its director, Ms. Yook Ling Chong, of 8 Newbury Street, Wantage, faced enforcement action when a test purchase detected an undeclared allergen in food offered to customers.

During a routine allergen check on 15 November 2024, a trading standards officer told the restaurant about their soya and sesame allergies before buying a vegetable pad thai and spring rolls. Both dishes were sent for testing.

Laboratory analysis found 618mg of soy protein in the combined sample, which is much higher than the safe limit of 10mg.

After reviewing the test results, officers visited the premises on 8 May 2025. They discovered that ingredients used in dishes – including spring rolls, which were labeled as containing soya, sesame, and wheat – were missing from the allergen matrix and had not been disclosed to consumers.

At a hearing on 6 March 2026, Ms Chong pleaded guilty to selling food that did not meet purchasers' requirements under Section 14 of the Food Safety Act 1990.

Ms Chong received a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay a £26 victim surcharge. The company was also fined £1,000, plus a £400 victim surcharge and £1,505.20 in council costs.

The company has also now revised its allergen matrix.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety said, said: “This is a situation that could have had disastrous and even deadly consequences, which were fortunately avoided.

“Our trading standards team in its brilliant work securing this prosecution serves as a reminder to other businesses that they need to take their allergen management responsibilities seriously.”

Davina Walkin, Trading Standards Operations Manager at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Food businesses have a legal and moral responsibility to protect customers with food allergies. Even small amounts of undeclared allergenic ingredients can have dangerous and potentially life threatening consequences for some people. This case demonstrates why robust allergen controls must be in place in every food business.

“We continue to conduct test purchases to ensure food businesses comply with food labelling legislation, including allergen information and take appropriate steps to safeguard consumers.”

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Mr Grzegorz Seczkowski, 41, from Abingdon, who traded as GNA Car Sales Ltd, was found to have lowered the mileage on six vans prior to selling them to unsuspecting customers.

He bought vans at auction and clocked them before selling them through the AutoTrader website and from his forecourt. By selling the vans with reduced mileage he made an additional profit over their true worth of £20,000.

A key element of the scam involved Mr Seczkowski buying high‑mileage former fleet or rental vehicles that were under three years old – meaning they had not yet undergone an MOT and their mileage was not centrally recorded.

This enabled him to roll back the vehicles’ mileage to just above their last service records, despite them having been driven up to 22,000 additional miles, allowing him to market them as low mileage vehicles with maintained service histories.

At a hearing at Oxford Crown Court on 3 February 2026, Mr Seczkowski was sentenced to 18 months custody, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to pay £2,529 in compensation to his customers and £5,000 towards the council’s costs.

GNA Car Sales Ltd was also fined £2,000 and both Mr Seczkowski and GNA Car Sales Ltd will have to pay a victim surcharge. A deprivation order in respect of a clocked van seized by trading standards as part of the investigation was also made.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety said, said: “Vehicle clocking misleads customers making a significant financial decision, with false claims leaving them frustrated, out of pocket and potentially even in danger. These vans were being sold to people who rely on them to earn a living, so breakdowns or high repair bills can have a significant impact on their lives.

“Dishonest trading of this kind undermines people’s confidence when buying a second hand vehicle, making the process more stressful and creating unnecessary difficulties for legitimate traders.

“Our trading standards team is here to protect Oxfordshire residents from rogue traders like Mr Seczkowski and will take similar action against anyone found to be engaging in offending of this nature.”

Davina Walkin, Trading Standards Operations Manager at Oxfordshire County Council, said: "We are extremely grateful to those organisations that supported us in this case.

"Anyone purchasing a second hand vehicle can check the mileage recorded during each MOT test for free on the GOV.UK website. If a vehicle regularly covers a significant number of miles each year and then suddenly shows only a very small increase, this can indicate that the vehicle has been clocked. Unless the seller can provide a clear explanation for the reduced mileage, we would recommend caution.

“There are also companies that, for a fee, will check a vehicle for mileage discrepancies, undeclared accidents or insurance claims, or whether it has been stolen. These can be useful tools when researching a vehicle’s history before buying.”

Residents with concerns about similar activity can report it using the national consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet today adopted the Science Vale movement and place plan that sets out 22 objectives and accompanying actions to create a long-term transport strategy for the area, which is spread across the districts of South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse.

They prioritise people walking, wheeling, cycling and using public transport over private car use.

The Science Vale area has a concentration of world-class innovative research and enterprise facilities. It covers Wantage and Didcot, surrounding villages and the employment sites at Culham Campus, Harwell Campus and Milton Park.

It is home to around 73,000 people and this is expected to rise to more than 170,000 by 2050, which highlights the need to address challenges such as congestion, air quality, rural accessibility and pressure on public transport.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, said: “Oxfordshire is embarking upon sustainable and positive change – placing people, communities and places at the heart of this.

“The movement and place plans, including this one for the Science Vale, are key to this. They reflect the needs and aspirations of our communities, help to protect our natural environment and deliver the homes, businesses and leisure facilities that our communities need and enjoy.

“A significant shift in this strategy has been putting people at the heart of plan making, alongside movement and working towards understanding the meaning of place at a local level.”

The plan’s objectives include:

• Creating a comprehensive active travel network that is safe, comfortable and direct by updating national cycle routes, improving lighting and surface quality, reducing severance caused by busy roads and adding cycle hubs.
• Public transport improvements including better bus frequencies, improved interchanges and long-term rail enhancements, for example support for a Wantage and Grove station.
• Supporting economic growth and innovation, given the area’s global reputation for life sciences, fusion research and space technology and the importance of dependable, low carbon connectivity.
• Protecting nature and the environment, with a focus on improving public spaces and strengthening community identity.

The plan’s vision received strong support during a public consultation.

There are 12 proposed movement and place plans for Oxfordshire that the council will be looking deliver over the next year or so. They will act as supporting documents to the council’s wider local transport connectivity plan, which was adopted in 2022.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

A major change to the way the government distributes grant money to councils means it and many other local authorities will face real challenges from 2026/27 with £1.5 million of new savings to services being discussed to help close a budget gap of £5.4m – and more significant reductions in the following two years.

The government only told councils how much money they would be receiving just before Christmas, leaving no time for officers to work up savings proposals for 2026/27.

The county council has options for delivering a balanced budget in 2026/27 but will be unable to expand services as it would have liked and will ask scrutiny councillors and cabinet for views on how a current funding gap of £5.4m can be dealt with by 10 February when a budget is set.

Measures will be proposed for debate including the use of reserves; setting less money aside in forecasting annual pay inflation and increasing the amount anticipated to be accrued in bank interest on money the council plans to spend in the normal process of delivering services  – each of which come with risk.

Another proposal for debate is increasing funding that will potentially be needed to fund the cumulative High Needs dedicated schools grant deficit but not by quite as much as originally planned.

A further option that would help the longer run budget is to seek additional savings of £1.5m from services in 2026/27.

The council now knows for certain that it will need to find further savings of at least £14m in 2027/28 (in addition to the £5.4m in 2026/27) because the government provided funding information for three years. As such there will need to be planning work throughout 2026 to meet this large challenge. Further savings will be needed in 2028/29, the first year of local government reform in Oxfordshire.

By 2028/29 there is a reduction of £24.1m in funding from central government. Within that there is an increase of £3.1m in funding for the Families First Partnership that the government will expect the council to use to fund new investment and activity in preventative services for children’s social care. Excluding that, the reduction in grant funding is £27.2m

Councillor Dan Levy, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Property, Finance and Transformation, said: “While we always take a prudent approach to budget setting there are pressures relating to social care that need to be met. These services are demand-led and if that demand rises then we have to find the money to meet the costs. There are also inflationary costs to be met in 2026/27.

“As a cabinet we will listen to councillors in the scrutiny committee and debate ourselves how we balance the 2026/27 budget and we have options that do not impact on services. However, people need to be under absolutely no illusion that in future we and many partner councils in local government will not have that luxury. Having three years’ worth of funding information means we know that stark reality for certain.

“Money is being redistributed away from Oxfordshire and other areas on a large scale by the government. There will be very real impacts on our budgets and our services in future.

“While we respect the government’s desire to put extra money into areas of the country that have higher levels of deprivation, we do not think this should be at the expense of Oxfordshire and its residents.”

The proposed Council Tax rise for 2026/27 is 4.99 per cent. The government has assumed that the council will set Council Tax at this level for each of the next three years in calculating the amount of grant funding it awarded the council under its new formula for distributing funds to councils across England.

Cllr Levy added: “This year’s budget features a number of positive investments but we are going to start facing real challenges thereafter. We need people to hear that message loud and clear. The government has cut grant funding and assumed the council will make up the difference with maximum Council Tax rises.

“The effect of this is that we will have to put up Council Tax by 4.99% each year, but a lot of this money will immediately be subtracted by the government and sent elsewhere. This is both financially difficult and hard to square with local accountability and choice.”

Key investments

• The council will continue the annual highway gully cleaning that was reinstated in 2025/26 and a further £4m will be invested (£2m in 2026/27 and £2m in 2027/28) in improved drainage infrastructure to help protect communities from flooding. This will deliver new and replacement drainage systems and help roads be kept free from flooded areas as much as possible, strengthening local flood resilience.
• A total of £150,000 will be invested to progress design and construction for Phase 1 of the Wantage Market Place project, focusing on the West End. Building on previous design work and consultation, the scheme will replace the tarmac surface with paving in keeping with the historic town centre, creating a safe, traffic-free space with step-free access.
• Libraries will see capital programme investment to create flexible, accessible spaces that supports a wider range of activities and resources with £360,000 for Wantage Library and £250,000 (rising by a further £500,000 in 2027/28) for Goring Library and £550,000 for Didcot Library.
• A total of £14m is proposed to be allocated to adult social care to deal with financial pressures including projected population growth and accompanying increases in people in care and the financial effect of the increase in high-cost complex placements.
• A total of £19m is proposed to be allocated to Children’s Services to meet additional costs of children’s social care and education. In addition to this, new activity required by the government as part of the Families First Partnership will be funded from a £3.1m increase in grant funding in 2026/27.
• Demand for the park & ride joint ticketing deal (£4 for 16 hours of parking and return bus ticket for one person, £5 for two people, plus up to three children under 16 travel free) has exceeded expectations. The congestion charge is working to shift people away from cars and onto buses and active travel.  Extra funding of £400,000 is required for it to continue in 2026/27 with potentially more in future years. This will be funded from parking income.
• Maintaining real time passenger information digital display boards at bus stops across the county in 2026/27, installed due to sustained Bus Service Improvement Plan funding from the government, requires additional investment. A total of £320,000 is required to maintain the entire system. This funding helps to ensure the lifespan of all display assets is maximised. This will be funded from reserves.

Savings

Because adult and children’s social care are now a much larger proportion of the council’s budget, it is challenging to find significant service savings. 

The following savings have been identified for 2026/27 but work will need to continue throughout 2026 to identify options from 2027/28 onwards.  

• The county council purchases electricity based on a forward purchasing price. If the prices and market trends remain as projected, there is potentially a £250,000 saving that the council can realise in 2026/27. This would need to be monitored and is subject to price changes.
• Other savings relate to the use of funding held in reserves to fund pressures where that is possible and the addition of £5.4m funding from the national packaging Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme that needs to be used to meet the cost of disposal of packaging waste.

The budget will be set by county councillors on 10 February

Nearly 8,000 counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes were seized from a shop on Cowley Road in Oxford, following an investigation by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team.

The raid netted 7,740 cigarettes, 5.85kg chewing tobacco, 4.2kg waterpipe tobacco, 800g hand rolling tobacco, and 77 unit packs of nicotine pouches, the majority of which were hidden above a ceiling tile. The total street value of the haul was approximately £5,000.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety said: “This operation sends a clear message that we will not tolerate illegal tobacco in Oxfordshire. These items not only undermine public health but are often tied to serious criminal activity. Thank you to our brilliant team for their work in tackling this tackling the issue.”

The action was part of Operation CeCe, a national initiative to tackle the sale and supply of illegal tobacco products, funded by HMRC through a partnership with National Trading Standards. 

An investigation has now been launched with those responsible facing potential criminal prosecution and additional civil sanctions including financial penalties.

Jody Kerman, Oxfordshire County Council's Head of Prevention, Protection and Trading Standards, added: “The majority of this seizure was discovered hidden above a loose ceiling tile. However, it was spotted by one of our eagle eyed officers, who are highly trained in identifying the telltale signs of these concealments. My message to those who continue to sell illegal tobacco: expect us.”

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco and related items should contact 0300 999 6 999 to report it anonymously or visit https://stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk/share-information

More information

Photos shows ceiling concealment, total seizure and an example of the counterfeit cigarettes seized. Please note: Marilyn Monroe is not an official pictorial health image.

Shops cannot be named while investigations are ongoing.

It can be hard to stop using tobacco products but help is available. People are three times more likely to successfully quit by using a stop smoking service like Smokefree Oxfordshire. The service is free to everyone living in the county

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

A company and its former director have been fined for illegal tobacco and nicotine product offences following an investigation by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team. 

Yadgar Ghafour, 38, of Phillip Street, Chester, former owner and director of Khalifa Super Store Ltd of 120 Cowley Road, pleaded guilty to all offences at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Friday 28 November and was ordered to pay £3,907.24 in fines and costs. 

The current owner and director, Muhemed Hussain, 54, also pleaded guilty to all offences on behalf of the company, which must pay £17,616.24 in fines and costs.

The court heard that trading standards officers inspected the premises on 1 May 2024, seizing 160 cigarettes, 35 packs of shisha tobacco, 865 vapes and 122 unit packs of nicotine pouches. The vapes and shisha were found by a detection dog in compartments sealed with electromagnets, which officers had to force open.

Most of the nicotine pouches were not labelled in English, the tobacco products were smuggled, and the vapes contained up to nine times the permitted 2ml nicotine liquid capacity.

The director at the time, Marewan Salh, 51, of Ridgeway Avenue, Derby has been ordered to pay £2,000 in fines and costs at an earlier hearing.  

The company was then purchased by Mr Ghafour on 26 June 2024, and on 21 January 2025 officers inspected the premises again. They seized 121 unit packs of nicotine pouches that were either labelled in a language other than English or that did not have the required safety labelling information. 

Following two covert test purchases, officers inspected the premises again on 16 March 2025 when a further concealment was discovered built into the shelving units. Inside was 214 vapes of 10ml capacity and 125 vapes of 20ml capacity, 10 times the allowed limit.

Smuggled waterpipe tobacco was also identified and seized. 

The current owner and sole director of Khalifa Super Store Ltd, Mr Hussain, purchased the Company from Mr Ghafour on 21 March 2025.  The shop now trades as Khalifa Supermarket from the same address.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety said: “I am pleased that our trading standards team has once again been able to remove illegal tobacco, nicotine pouches and vape products from our high streets. The work of our officers is vital for protecting residents and holding individuals and businesses accountable.”

Jody Kerman, Oxfordshire County Council's Head of Prevention, Protection and Trading Standards, added: “We support honest businesses and do all we can to ensure the health, wellbeing and safety of all residents and visitors in the county. Our dedicated trading standards team acts swiftly and diligently against those who flagrantly flout the law. And, rest assured, it will continue to do so.”

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco and related items should contact 0300 999 6 999 to report it anonymously.

More information

Nicotine is highly addictive. Nicotine pouches are not currently age restricted and, unlike vapes, there is no bespoke legislation limiting their nicotine content. 

A Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) study (May 2024) showed that 18 per cent of the surveyed male players and 22 per cent of the female players use nicotine pouches.

Photos can be used for publication: Shows concealment identified on 16 March.

It can be hard to stop using tobacco products but help is available. People are three times more likely to successfully quit by using a stop smoking service like Smokefree Oxfordshire. The service is free to everyone living in the county

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Michael John Addison, 66, of Portland Place, Cheltenham appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Friday 7 November 2025, where he was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment and ordered to pay £650 prosecution costs, after being caught within six months of receiving a two year suspended sentence for the same offences.

Addison was first apprehended in possession of illegal cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco at Kidlington market in a joint operation led by the county council’s trading standards team, the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit and Thames Valley Police in January 2022 and February 2023.

This led to a criminal conviction and a two-year suspended sentence, alongside 300 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He was also ordered to pay £400,000 within six months or face four years’ imprisonment, in addition to paying the council’s costs of £30,593.79.

Despite these penalties, Addison was apprehended again during a targeted operation in Kidlington in July 2024 and subsequently found guilty at trial in August 2025.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “It is deeply disappointing to see a repeat offender continuing to flout the law and put our communities at risk. Illegal tobacco is not only dangerous to health, but it also undermines legitimate businesses and fuels further criminal activity.

“This case highlights the vital work of our Trading Standards team, whose dedication and persistence have once again brought an offender to justice. I want to thank our officers for their relentless efforts in protecting Oxfordshire residents and ensuring that those who break the law are held accountable.”

Addison had previously been found guilty back in September 2023 for similar illegal tobacco and money laundering offences. He was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and 300 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Davina Walkin, Trading Standards Operations Manager at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Selling illegal tobacco is a serious problem. It puts people’s health at risk and hurts honest businesses.

“Our Trading Standards team works hard to stop these crimes and protect our communities. I’m proud of their efforts in bringing repeat offenders to justice. If anyone knows about illegal tobacco being sold, please report it so we can keep Oxfordshire safe.”

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of any tobacco products should contact 0300 999 6 999 or report it anonymously through the website: stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk.  

More information

Michael Addison was previously sentenced at Oxford Crown Court in September 2023 for illegal tobacco and money laundering offences and was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment suspended for two years and 300 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

In his basis of plea, he accepted ‘converting criminal property’ by funnelling a sum of more than £155,000 through two Lloyds bank accounts in his name.

It can be hard to stop using tobacco products, but help is available. People are three times more likely to successfully quit by using a stop smoking service such as Smokefree Oxon.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Residents are being encouraged to check their electric blankets for signs of wear and age after recent testing sessions by Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards team found that more than one in three failed safety tests.

A total of 920 electric blankets were tested at ten events across the county between 22 September and 10 October, an increase of nearly 200 compared to the previous year.

Of those tested, 338 failed safety assessments - a failure rate of 36.7 per cent, which is an increase from last year.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “I would like to thank everyone involved in making this important annual event such a success.

“This is something we have been offering for 26 years, free of charge, to our residents, and we encourage everyone to take advantage of it. If the condition of a blanket is allowed to deteriorate, there is a risk it could become faulty, posing a danger of injury or fire.

“These results highlight the importance of taking simple precautions to ensure everyone’s safety during the colder months. Some blankets may appear safe visually, but a professional check can help to identify hidden faults.”

People with electric blankets can also get advice on carrying out checks at home by visiting Electric Safety First’s website. If in doubt about the safety of a blanket, it should not be used.

Jody Kerman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Head of Prevention, Protection and Trading Standards, said: “Blankets and throws might fail a safety assessment for many reasons, and even quite new blankets can fail. This is why it’s important to have them regularly tested at one of our free annual events.

“The general advice is to replace blankets more than 10 years old - in one case, our team inspected a blanket that was over 60 years old - and to check them before use for exposed or bunched wires, wear and tear, or other damage.”

Electric blankets can be disposed of at any of the county council’s waste recycling centres.

Trading Standards were supported at these events by colleagues from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, city and district councils, Age UK, Oxfordshire Citizens Advice, Electrical Safety First, and other local volunteer groups and agencies. The Oxfordshire Volunteer Drivers Service also helped to collect and return blankets for those unable to travel to testing sites.

Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

An illegal tobacco trader has been ordered to pay £400,000 after being caught in action again by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards service within six months of receiving a two year suspended prison sentence.

Michael Addison, 65, of Portland Place, Cheltenham appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday 2 September for a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.  

Addison has been repeatedly caught in possession of fake cigarettes and smuggled hand rolling tobacco. He was caught at Kidlington market in a joint operation led by the county council’s trading standards team, the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) and Thames Valley Police, in January 2022 and then again in February 2023. This resulted in criminal conviction and a two year suspended sentence with 300 hours of unpaid work. 

He was then caught again in July 2024 and found guilty at trial in August this year. 

He will be sentenced for criminal offences on 7 November.

The confiscation order requires Addison to pay £400,000 within six months or face four years’ imprisonment in default. 

He must also pay the council’s costs of £30,593.79.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “Our trading standards officers and financial investigator have carried out thorough investigations to ensure the defendant did not benefit from their criminal activity. The outcome of this case should be a stark warning to others that the sale of illegal tobacco will not be tolerated in Oxfordshire and that robust action will be taken by our officers.”

Jody Kerman, Oxfordshire County Council's Head of Prevention, Protection and Trading Standards, said: “This investigation began due to intelligence received from a member of the public. We encourage anybody with information about the illegal sale of any tobacco products to contact 0300 999 6 999 or report it anonymously through Stop Illegal Tobacco’s website.”

More information

Michael Addison was previously sentenced at Oxford Crown Court in September 2023 for illegal tobacco and money laundering offences and was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment suspended for two years and 300 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days. 

In his basis of plea, he accepted ‘converting criminal property’ by funneling a sum of more than £155,000 through two Lloyds bank accounts in his name.

It can be hard to stop using tobacco products but help is available. People are three times more likely to successfully quit by using a stop smoking service including  Smokefree Oxon.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

The Oxfordshire County Council LCWIP, which aims to improve walking, wheeling and cycling around the town, has been developed using feedback gathered last year from residents, workers and visitors using a ‘map and pin’ exercise.

Their input was used to set out proposed improvements for local walking and cycling routes over the next 10 years. As well as focusing on the connection of cycling and walking routes in Wantage, the LCWIP looks at a wider area including Grove and East Challow.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said: “Improving the routes in Wantage and surrounding areas will enable more people to use alternatives to the car or public transport to make our roads safer and our environment healthier. This plan has been drafted using valuable insights that people have taken the time to share with us and it is now our intention to take those changes forward and make these routes the best we can.

“I encourage people to look carefully at the plan and share their impressions with us, including whether the most important walking and cycling routes and improvements have been identified and what we can do to make the plan better.”

Feedback will be used to amend the plan. The final version will presented to the lead cabinet member towards the end of this year/early 2026 for a decision on if this can be formally adopted as council policy. This will support funding bids to improve walking and cycling in Wantage and the surrounding area.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

An illegal tobacco trader was caught in possession of counterfeit cigarettes by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards service only six months after receiving a two year suspended prison sentence for similar illegal tobacco and money laundering offences. 

Michael Addison, 65, of Portland Place, Cheltenham appeared at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Monday 28 July, where he was found guilty of five charges relating to the possession of fake cigarettes and smuggled hand rolling tobacco. 

The court heard that in April 2024, Addison was caught in Kidlington with a bag containing cigarettes and tobacco on the back seat of his car together with a notebook detailing sales records. This was part of a joint operation led by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team, the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) and Thames Valley Police. 

At interview under caution Addison claimed the cigarettes had been bought for his personal use, whereas the hand rolling tobacco was for somebody else who had approached him to "see what he could do as a one off". He confirmed the notebook did relate to tobacco sales but claimed it was "from years ago". 

Sentencing will be held at Oxford Crown Court on 26 August. 

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “While there is no safe level of smoking, there is also no way of knowing what is contained in unregulated and counterfeit cigarettes and tobacco products, which could put your health at an even greater risk. 

“That is why our trading standards team will continue to pursue those responsible and bring them to justice.” 

Addison had previously been found guilty back in September 2023 for similar illegal tobacco and money laundering offences. He was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and 300 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days. 

Jody Kerman, Oxfordshire County Council's Head of Prevention, Protection and Trading Standards, said: “This was an example of partnership working at its best. Thanks to the help given by SEROCU and Thames Valley Police, we have been able to catch a prolific offender targeting Oxfordshire again, who clearly may never have stopped.” 

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of any tobacco products should contact 0300 999 6 999 or report it anonymously through the website: stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk.  

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

The owner of an Oxford off-licence, stripped of its premises licence earlier this year, appeared before Oxford Magistrates' Court on Friday 25 July charged with offences relating to illegal vapes and tobacco. 

Avtar Singh Lulpurwal, 45, who runs Uni Food & Wine in Park End Street, saw his business investigated by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team last November, after they received a report that the shop had been selling tobacco snus from Sweden. 

The court heard that on November 18 last year, trading standards officers seized 81 illegal vapes, some claiming to contain up to 15,000 puffs, and found tobacco products on open display. 

The statutory warning notice stating, "It is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18", was also not displayed. 

Revisiting the premises on 17 December, officers discovered a unit pack of Siberia Extremely Strong tobacco snus, labelled in Swedish, on open display. Tobacco snus has been illegal to sell in the UK since 1992. 

Tobacco products were also again on open display and the statutory warning notice was still not displayed. 

Lulpurwal, of Oxford Road, Kidlington, pleaded guilty to all charges. He had previously pleaded guilty at Oxford Crown Court on 17 June after over 1,000 illegal vapes had been seized in total from two of his shops, including Uni Food & Wine. 

The council is also seeking to recover around £19,500 in proceeds of crime. Lulpurwal will be sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on 15 November 2025. 

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety said: “Thank you to all involved for all of their work and dedication in bringing this case to court. We will always pursue reoffenders, and it is disappointing that that yet again trading standards has been forced to resort to court action to protect the public.” 

Jody Kerman, Oxfordshire County Council's Head of Prevention, Protection and Trading Standards said: "It's disappointing when a retailer does not learn from its mistakes. Our role is to educate and assist where we can but we don't shy away from taking enforcement action when it's necessary – to protect the public and honest businesses alike." 

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco and related items should contact 0300 999 6999 to report it anonymously. 

More information

In March, Oxford City Council's licensing committee revoked Uni Food & Wine's premises licence to sell alcohol following an application from Trading Standards which was supported by the Police and Licensing due to a history of non-compliance with licensing objectives.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

It may be the middle of summer but it’s never too early to prepare for the cold winter nights, which is why residents are being encouraged to take advantage of free electric blanket testing later this year.

In 2024, of the 743 blankets tested, more than 30 per cent failed the safety test.

Sessions will be held by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards teams at locations across the county. The full address and a specific time slot will be provided at time of booking:

September 2025:

• 22 September: Rosehill, Oxford City
• 23 September: Henley on Thames, South Oxfordshire
• 24 September: Bicester, Cherwell
• 25 September: Chipping Norton, West Oxfordshire
• 26 September: Abingdon, Vale of White Horse

October 2025:

• 6 October: Risinghurst, Oxford City
• 7 October: Didcot, South Oxfordshire
• 8 October: Banbury, Cherwell
• 9 October: Witney, West Oxfordshire
• 10 October: Wantage, Vale of White Horse

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “If the condition of a blanket is allowed to deteriorate there is the possibility it could become faulty, risking injury and fire.

“In 2024, of the 743 blankets we tested, over 30 per cent failed, which shows just how important this important service remains.

“This is a free service we have been providing now for 26 years for anybody in Oxfordshire to take advantage of. It’s probably hard to think about the winter right now, but do book your appointment as soon as possible to avoid disappointment get yourself prepared.”

Spots can be prebooked by calling 01865 519800 (option 4), by emailing duty.officer@oxfordshire.gov.uk or by booking online.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

A former Oxford business owner has been fined for illegal tobacco and nicotine product offences following an investigation by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team. 

The case, relating to a seizure from Khalifa Super Store of 120 Cowley Road, was heard at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Friday 27 June.

Marewan Salh, 51, of Derby, the former owner and director of Khalifa Super Store Ltd, pleaded guilty to six offences and was ordered to pay a £1,000 fine, victim surcharge of £400, and a contribution towards costs of £600. 

The court heard that trading standards officers inspected the premises on 1 May 2024, seizing 160 cigarettes, 35 packs of shisha tobacco, 865 vapes and 122 unit packs of nicotine pouches. Mr Salh was not present at the time. 

The vapes and shisha were discovered by a detection dog in concealments sealed shut by electromagnets and forced open by officers.

Most of the nicotine pouches did not have English labelling, while the tobacco products were smuggled and the vapes contained nicotine liquid of up to nine times the maximum 2ml capacity allowed.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety said: “The detection dogs are highly trained and will not only sniff out tobacco but can also find vapes and cash too. Their expertise makes short work of even the most sophisticated of concealments.

“Thank you to the team for all their work in bringing this case to court. It shows that Oxfordshire’s trading standards team, working in partnership with other agencies, will continue to crack down on the sale of all these illegal products.”

The company, Khalifa Super Store Ltd, was also charged with six offences but this matter was adjourned as the new owner is currently abroad.

Jody Kerman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Head of Trading Standards, added: “My team is committed to removing these illicit items from the High Street and creating a level playing field so that legitimate businesses can succeed.

“The use of sophisticated concealments, which can be difficult to detect, shows the lengths that criminals will go to. We will simply not tolerate this activity in Oxfordshire.”

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco and related items should contact 0300 999 6 999 to report it anonymously.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire County Council has today (24 June 2025) launched a four-week survey to capture people’s views and ideas.

Proposals are being made to enhance the area and improve accessibility, walking, wheeling and cycling. This follows a commitment by both Oxfordshire County Council and Wantage Town Council in 2024, to explore ways to make the Market Place more accessible and safer for residents and visitors.

Officers from the county council have been working with the local community to investigate how space could be redesigned to the make the town centre a better place to spend time for shopping, leisure or business.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, said: “Our vision for Wantage Market Place is to create a vibrant, welcoming, and accessible space for everyone. We aim to enhance the historical charm of the market town while addressing the challenges of climate change. By improving opportunities for walking, wheeling, cycling, and using public transport, we hope to make the Market Place a healthier, friendlier and safer environment for all.

“The project is at an early stage and a design is yet to be developed. Tell us what you think and make suggestions to help us shape the project designs and goals. We would like to find out what is important to local residents and businesses and how we can make it economically and environmentally useful for future years.

“We’ll use what we learn, work with the community to develop a draft design, and come back to you for further consultation next year.”

People can take part in an online survey on the county council’s digital engagement and consultation platform, Let’s talk Oxfordshire. The consultation closes at 11.59pm on Tuesday 22 July 2025.

The online survey will be supported by two drop-in events for members of the public to find out about the project and speak to the team in person:

• Saturday 5 July 2025 – 10am - 4pm

Vale & Downland Museum (Barn Gallery), 19 Church Street, OX12 8BL

• Wednesday 9 July 2025 – 5pm - 8pm

Wantage Methodist Church (Chapel area), 20 Newbury Street, OX12 8DA

A further public consultation on the draft design will take place in 2026, with construction expected once further funding is confirmed. 

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

The case, relating to Oxford Shop of George Street, was heard at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Friday 13 June.

Bashar Mizori, 53, sole director of Oxford Shop Ltd, pleaded guilty to eight offences and was ordered to pay a £1,000 fine (reduced by one third following an early guilty plea), victim surcharge of £400, and a contribution towards costs of £3,500.

He also pleaded guilty on behalf of his company, Oxford Shop Ltd, to eight offences and was fined £5000 (reduced by one third for an early guilty plea), a victim surcharge of £2000, and a contribution towards costs of £3,500.

The total to pay in this case amounted to £15,400. All seized items were ordered to be forfeited and destroyed.

Trading standards officers inspected the premises on 15 March 2024, seizing 800 cigarettes, 168 vapes and 326 unit packs of nicotine pouches. Mr Mizori was present at the time.

On 30 April 2024 a further covert test purchase was carried out and illicit cigarettes were purchased from the shop. As a result, more illegal vapes were confiscated the following day.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety said: “Thank you to the team for all of their work in bringing this case to court. It shows that Oxfordshire’s trading standards team, working in partnership with other agencies, will continue to crack down on the sale of illegal products.

“People can help us to stamp out illegal tobacco and create a healthier and safer Oxfordshire by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious activity using the illegal tobacco hotline.”

Jody Kerman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Head of Trading Standards, added: “This is our first completed case involving illegal pouches and, as we understand it, one of the first in the UK.  Nicotine is highly addictive, and some of the seized products claimed to have very high levels of nicotine content. 

“The majority were also not labelled in English, so had no instructions for safe use, or what to do if one was accidentally swallowed, which could lead to poisoning”.

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco and related items should contact 0300 999 6 999 to report it anonymously.

More information

Nicotine is highly addictive.  Nicotine pouches are not currently age-restricted and, unlike vapes, there is no bespoke legislation limiting their nicotine content.  A Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) study (May 2024) showed that 18 per cent of the surveyed male players and 22 per cent of the female players use nicotine pouches.

It can be hard to stop using tobacco products but help is available. People are three times more likely to successfully quit by using a stop smoking service like Smokefree Oxfordshire. The service is free to everyone living in the county.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Ben Arthur Eltham, of Chalbar, Denchworth Road, Grove, near Wantage, had previously pleaded guilty at Oxford Crown Court of dishonestly entering into contracts for projects where he charged for materials he did not purchase and for failing to finish work. The work he did carry out was of poor quality.

He also began work on properties without the necessary applications according to building regulations and failed to have work inspected at the required stages, despite assuring clients that this had been done.

Eltham, 41, was sentenced on Friday 30 May to 40 months imprisonment.

Davina Walkin, Trading Standards Operations Manager at Oxfordshire County Council, said: The vast majority of Oxfordshire’s builders complete their work on time and to their customers satisfaction. When this is not the case and traders take money for inadequate work and misuse funds intended for materials before lying to their clients about why projects are delayed, then our trading standards works hard to give residents as much protection as possible from such rogue traders.”

At the time of the offences, committed between 2021 and 2023, Eltham was trading as Ben Eltham General Builder and JFE Building Contractor.

He was contracted to complete work for five customers, primarily in the Wantage area, on garage conversions, extensions and remodelling projects.

There was a distinct pattern to the projects undertaken by Eltham. Work initially progressed well but soon slowed, and it would become difficult for his customers to reach him.

His clients were given increasingly implausible reasons why no work was being carried out and, in some cases, the work was never finished years after starting.

Investigations found that instead of ordering materials and paying staff to carry out the work, Eltham was spending considerable amounts on gambling, holidays and social events.

Davina continued: “We always advise anybody looking for a reliable trader to get a number of detailed quotes, check with friends and family for trusted recommendations and consider a trading standards’ approved trader from our Buy With Confidence scheme.

“People should proceed with caution when agreeing payment for large scale building projects. Paying in instalments is entirely sensible but when the payment schedule is too heavily weighted towards the beginning of the work, as was the case with Mr Eltham, this can be a warning sign and can leave customers heavily out of pocket with little work completed.

“The same applies when making significant down payments for items like fitted kitchens and bathrooms, glazing and heating systems. Always ensure there is proof orders have been made to avoid incurring the expense of having to re-order if an unscrupulous trader uses the money to cover other spending.”

Any Oxfordshire resident that has concerns about activity of this nature should report it using the national consumer helpline 0808 223 1133

Mr David McCalium, formerly of Newbury, now Bicester, pleaded guilty to three charges of fraudulent trading, two charges of running a company while bankrupt and two charges of running a company in a name other than that on a bankruptcy order. 

He received a two years and six months’ custodial sentence and was disqualified from being a director of a company of eight years. An order of confiscation was also made, although no recoverable amounts have been identified.

Trading standards had received complaints from 12 members of the public about McCalium, who traded under Aspect Home Improvements, Home Aspect, DM Restorations and Glazing and Unique Property Developments.  

The investigation, which was supported by the National Trading Standards regional investigation team, found that considerable sums of money were paid for work ranging from replacement windows to house extensions, which were either partially completed to a poor standard or left uncompleted with the trader uncontactable. 

False statements were also made in relation to liaising with building control or other agencies, being members of trade associations and using false names. This caused the customers considerable distress and left them forced to pay out extra to get the partially completed work completed, often costing thousands of pounds.  

The customers were unaware that McCalium has been declared bankrupt and should not have been running a business.  

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing and Safety: “The vast majority of Oxfordshire’s builders complete their work on time and to their customers’ satisfaction. When this is not the case and traders take money for rushed bodge jobs, then our trading standards team are here to protect residents from the actions of rogue traders. 

“These customers have been left in a stressful situation and considerably out of pocket due to the actions of Mr McCalium and in some cases has taken years to put the situation right.” 

 Lord Michael Bichard, Chair, National Trading Standards, said: “Mr McCalium’s actions have caused real harm to consumers – causing considerable distress as people were duped out of thousands of pounds – and undermined trust in honest and legitimate builders and businesses.  

“Cracking down on rogue traders like McCalium helps protect local communities and helps safeguard a level playing field for honest, law-abiding businesses. I hope this sentence sends a strong signal that these crimes will not be tolerated – and I urge local neighbourhoods to look out for each other and report any suspicious cases like this.” 

Jody Kerman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Head of Trading Standards, said: “We advise anybody who is looking for a reliable trader to always get a number of detailed quotes, check with friends and family for trusted recommendations and consider a trading standards’ approved trader, from our Buy With Confidence scheme. 

“We would also advise that customers resist calls for payment ahead of when sums are due to be paid under the agreement they have with a trader and consider what work has been achieved before paying that sum.” 

Any Oxfordshire resident that has concerns about activity of this nature should report it to trading standards via the Citizens Advice national consumer helpline 0808 223 1133. 

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team is holding an event on 5 June between 10am and 3pm at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford for business owners to hand in all unsold products affected by the ban of single use vapes, which comes into force on 1 June.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing and Safety, said: “From next month it will be illegal for businesses to sell of supply what is commonly known as ‘disposable’ – or single use – vapes. These are products that cannot be refilled or reused.

“When discarded these vapes have been known to leak harmful substances, such as mercury, and microplastics into the surrounding environment, which can poison animals, damage the local eco system, and take hundreds of years to break down. They have also been known to cause fires when not safely disposed of.

“We want to help business owners not get caught out by the new law, and by providing these sessions we hope we can offer people a quick and easy way to return unsold stock, which we can safely dispose of in as environmentally friendly a way as possible.”

Those unable to attend on the 5 June can arrange an appointment to drop off products at trading standards’ offices in Oxford.

Anybody found to be selling or supplying single use vapes after 1 June can face criminal charges, including a heavy fine, a prison sentence, or both.

The legislation applies to all disposable vapes, including zero per cent nicotine varieties.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

The checks in February and March aimed to ensure pubs are complying with laws on serving alcoholic beverages.

Officers posed as the public and ordered wine, beer, or whisky at various venues across the county, which they then measured.

Of the drinks ordered, they found 12 of 16 glasses of wine, no pints of beer, and one of two shots of whisky were short measured.

Jody Kerman, Head of Trading Standards at Oxfordshire County Council, said “Many people across the county enjoy a pint or a glass of wine in the pub with friends. However, it’s not a cheap commodity, and the inspection showed that customers could be losing out if it’s not served correctly.

“Ensuring that every pint of beer and glass of wine served in Oxfordshire pubs meets the required standards is crucial for maintaining customer trust and satisfaction. Our trading standards team is committed to making sure residents get exactly what they pay for."

The Weights and Measures (Intoxicating Liquor) Order 1988 mandates that establishments selling alcoholic beverages must serve them in specified measurements. These include half pint and pint for beer, 125ml, 175ml, or 250ml for wine, and 25ml for spirits.

The average cost of a 175ml glass of wine purchased was £7.05, and 2.2 per cent short of a full glass, resulting in a potential loss to the consumer of up to 15p.

One glass of wine purchased was under by 13ml, meaning a potential loss of as much as 52p to the customer.

Businesses that served short measures were provided with guidance, and new measuring equipment was obtained where necessary.

Free support is available for people who would like to reduce their drinking through the council’s DrinkCoach service.

Anybody who is struggling with alcohol dependence can seek free specialist and confidential support from Turning Point. For referrals and queries, please call 01865 261690.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Following a tendering process, Oxfordshire County Council has commissioned SLC Rail to put together the strategic outline business case for the project.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy, said: “Oxfordshire County Council has long been an advocate of a proposed Wantage and Grove Station.

“This area has had a rapid increase in population in recent years and if we are going to be able to meet our ambitious targets set in our Local Transport and Connectivity Plan, rail improvements will be a key factor.

“Providing fast, regular and reliable transport options that serve our local communities and businesses across the region is essential for supporting the people, our economic centres and climate change objectives.”

The proposed new station would support the substantial growth in population that has taken place over recent years and provide residents with a high-quality and sustainable alternative means of travel.

Oxfordshire County Council is leading on the promotion of the station and will be working closely with Network Rail, Great Western Railways (GWR) and South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils to progress any plans.

Claire Mahoney, Network Rail's industry programme director, said: “We welcome the feasibility study into a proposed new station for Wantage and Grove.

“The industry strategy – the Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study, jointly commissioned by the county and city councils, Network Rail, and the Department for Transport – highlighted opportunities to expand Oxfordshire’s railway and help deliver economic growth to the region. This recommended a number of potential future improvements to support increasing interconnectivity across Oxfordshire, which could support the provision of new stations.”

A Wantage and Grove station was initially opened in 1846 but has seen no trains since 1964.

GWR's Business Development Portfolio Director Tom Pierpoint said: “We welcome the development of new stations across our network and are proud of our record working with partners to connect communities to the railway in recent years with new stations opening in Bristol, Devon and Reading.

“We look forward to engaging with the study, including on line capacity, rolling stock and crew requirements.”

Proposals for the new station will feature in Oxfordshire County Council’s emerging OxRail 2040: Plan for Rail strategy, which is expected to be adopted later this year.

If reopened, according to an independent opinion in 2018, it is estimated to become the fifth busiest station in Oxfordshire, attracting at least a million users a year.

There is also a strong economic case for the station, as it is estimated to generate £2.48 for every £1 invested.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

The sixth former, aged 18, from Fitzwaryn School, Wantage, has a heightened sense of anxiety, meaning doing things independently like travelling on public transport is a real challenge.

Luckily, help was available for Kiera through Oxfordshire County Council’s independent travel training.

The scheme is designed to help young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) use public transport. A travel trainer helps them gain knowledge, experience in completing their planned route, and develop road safety skills. 

It has boosted Kiera’s self-esteem for her daily journey to such an extent that she offered to be a guide for Councillor John Howson – Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Young People’s Services – so he could experience the training first-hand.

Kiera pointed out aspects she had gone through such as stranger awareness, journey planning, using a bus pass or money, understanding the Green Cross Code, and other practical safety advice including ‘what if scenarios.’

“Before the training, my confidence in travelling on public transport was so low that I couldn’t do it,” explained Kiera.

“I was getting to school by taxi, a journey I found noisy and lacking the sense of independence I get from being on a bus, which has better views out of the windows too.

“Look at me now, my confidence has changed a lot since I began the travel training. Now I’m independent, which feels good and helps me in things like talking to the bus driver, and I’m even showing Cllr Howson how I cope on my travel from school.

“My independent travel trainer has been amazing. Nothing has been a problem and nothing is ever an issue, I can’t praise the trainer enough and will never forget how their support and kindness has changed my life.”

Councillor John Howson, Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Young People’s Services, said: “I’m a regular bus user, and a champion of public transport, so I couldn’t resist the invitation to join Kiera on her journey from school.

“Kiera pointed out to me that it’s not always the same driver or passengers on board each day. This can be daunting in itself, particularly when Kiera and other young people on our independent travel training programme are often more comfortable and confident in familiar surroundings.

“However, the scheme is clearly working for Kiera. She was leading and acting as my guide because it is her route. Kiera knows when to press the bell to alight, making good use of the digital information screens to identify the correct bus stop.

“Indeed, I’d like to thank the bus companies and their drivers who support our independent travel training. They make our young people and their travel trainers welcome and look out for them throughout their journeys.

“We are rightly proud of our county’s bus services and it’s brilliant that we are encouraging young people to use public transport through initiatives like this, giving them independence, boosting their confidence and their freedom to explore and learn.”

Further information about the independent travel training scheme is available on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.

Your Oxfordshire

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Teams from eight schools took part in Oxfordshire County Council’s Consumer Challenge Quiz on 4 March at Unipart House, which teaches life skills and consumer knowledge through a fun, visual and hands on contest.

Each school was represented by a four member team, accompanied by a volunteer from Oxfordshire County Council. This year, Orion Academy emerged as the victorious school.

Councillor John Howson, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Families, said: “It’s very important that young people learn early about the challenges that they face from the risks as consumers, and how to deal with them. Trading standards in Oxfordshire has a long history; this particular event has been going for 30 years, and that shows the worth of it – schools are still turning up with their teams, and their supporters, to encourage them in what is a time of fierce competition. Both groups take away many lessons learnt in a new and exciting location.”

Schools that took part includes Bardwell School (Bicester), Bishopswood School (Sonning Common), Fitzwaryn School (Wantage), The Iffley Academy (Oxford), Kingfisher School (Abingdon), Mabel Prichard School (Oxford), John Watson School (Wheatley), Orion Academy (Oxford) and Springfield School (Witney).

Councillor Dr Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Safety, said: “This popular event is a great opportunity for young people to learn skills – from knowing what their rights are when they are buying products, to understanding the risks of products such as vapes and how to stay safe in the home – in a fun way, while working as a team.

“Congratulations to the winners, and all the schools who took part!”

A mascot competition for fellow students who are not members of their team is also included, which was won this year by Mabel Prichard School.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Almost 10,000 counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes and other tobacco and nicotine based products have been seized following a series of visits to retail premises by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team.

Officers were accompanied by specialist tobacco detection dogs, which can sniff out contraband in concealments within till points or hidden in storerooms.

Premises involved included off-licences, convenience stores, food retailers and barbers in Banbury, Kidlington and Oxford.

The operation resulted in the seizure of 9,340 illegal cigarettes, 700g of counterfeit hand rolling tobacco, 180 unit packs of non-compliant nicotine pouches and 42 disposable electronic cigarettes, or vapes, with a capacity of nicotine containing liquid nine times the maximum allowed.

The total street value of the haul was approximately £5,000.

Councillor Dr Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety: “Our trading standards team, working in partnership with other agencies, will continue to crack down on the sale of these illegal products and cause the maximum disruption possible to criminal networks.

“People can help us to stamp out illegal tobacco and create a healthier and safer county by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious activity using the illegal tobacco hotline.”

Other issues detected were:

• Two premises in breach of their licensing conditions.
• One premises with a concealment operated by electromagnets, although no illegal product was contained within it.
• Four premises with tobacco products on open display, whereas they must be out of sight of customers.
• Two premises with evidence of staff sleeping or living in store rooms, which was referred to other agencies.

Investigations are ongoing, with premises facing potential criminal prosecution, licence reviews and additional sanctions, including financial penalties.

Jody Kerman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Head of Trading Standards, added: “We are serious about taking action whenever we find anyone selling illegal tobacco. Its sale undermines legitimate businesses in Oxfordshire and puts money into the hands of criminals.”

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco should contact 0300 999 6 999 or report it anonymously online at stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk

More information

It can be hard to stop using tobacco products, but help is available. People are three times more likely to successfully quit by using a stop smoking service like Smokefree Oxfordshire. The service is free to everyone living in the county.

Photo: The seized haul found by detection dog Billy.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Talks took place in 2024 between Oxfordshire County Council, the Lord Lieutenant and the Royal Navy about the possibility of an affiliation. Such connections have been common throughout the history of the navy and many current ships already have links with places in the UK.

HMS Diamond is a Type 45 destroyer with a crew of 240 sailors including a Royal Marines boarding team. The ship's motto, "Honor Clarissima Gemma," translates to "Honour is the Brightest Jewel.

Beyond her primary role in air defence, HMS Diamond is versatile and capable of performing a wide range of duties, from counter-narcotics operations to providing humanitarian aid. Her most recent operations involved protecting merchant shipping lanes from Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

Councillor Liz Leffman, the leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “This strengthens the bond and support between the Royal Navy and the local community and reaffirms the council’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant and our significant armed forces communities. The county already plays host to Naval cadet units.”

All major Royal Navy ships have affiliations as part of a long-standing tradition that binds their crews to the land via a network of relationships across the United Kingdom.

The range of organisations and establishments that are invited to become part of a ship’s extended family can encompass cities, hospital trusts, cadet units, army regiments and air force squadrons, as well as venerable city institutions and counties. The benefits of affiliation are mutual. An affiliation gives the ship and the ship’s company a link to the organisation. 

HMS Diamond has an existing affiliation with Coventry. Other current examples include Essex which recently affiliated with HMS Venturer, and the town of Wantage, which has an affiliation with HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Oxfordshire County Council and St. Modwen, the master developer for the Kingsgrove housing development, have worked together to construct the new route that extends between the A417 east of Wantage, and the A338 north of Wantage. This provides easier travel for both residents of the Kingsgrove housing development and visitors to the area.

A three-metre wide path for walking and cycling runs along the length of the road, while the original entrance to the Kingsgrove development is now for pedestrians, cyclists and buses only.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy, said: “Wantage is a historic market town that has seen, and will continue to see, significant growth in much-needed new homes and associated community facilities. The need for this scheme was established long before planning approval was obtained, and I am delighted that the entire route is now open.

“King Alfred Way will encourage active travel through the provision of high-quality pedestrian and cycle facilities, together with opportunities for travel by bus. It is also expected to help reduce congestion and noise levels, and improve air quality, within Wantage town centre.

“The opening of the road is reflective of the commitment, hard work and successful collaboration between the county council and St Modwen – together with suppliers working on behalf of both parties.”

Thomas Snell, Development Manager at St. Modwen, said: "We’re incredibly proud to have played a central role in delivering the new road, a project that not only enhances local infrastructure but also supports our growing Kingsgrove community.

“By improving connectivity and prioritising sustainable travel options, this road reflects our commitment to creating thriving, future-ready places where people can live, work, and enjoy their surroundings.”

Officially opened by Olly Glover, MP for Wantage and Didcot and Councillor Iain Cameron, Deputy Mayor of Wantage, the link’s new title – King Alfred Way – commemorates Wantage’s royal history. The name pays tribute to King Alfred the Great, who was born in Wantage in 849, and who is the inspiration for the name of the Kingsgrove community – referencing Alfred’s apple orchards, which once covered the area.

Olly Glover, MP for Wantage and Didcot said: “Residents in Wantage and beyond have been eagerly awaiting the opening of this road for some time, following some delays. I am pleased to see it open and hope it will be of benefit to all road users in the coming months and years.”

Ends

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team recently tested 15 popular items from outlets around the county to ensure they complied with rules relating to accurate calorie labelling.

Foods assessed included salads, sandwiches and pizza, with the vast majority of samples (13) having accurate labelling.

Councillor Dr Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety, said: “The trading standards team has an exceptionally wide remit, but at its heart is helping to ensure customers are confident about the products they are purchasing, especially when it can have an impact on their health and wellbeing.

“This is just one small example of the team doing just that and helping to ensure that we can trust food standards and the claims made about the food we eat, from farm to fork.”

To be compliant, actual calorific content should be within 20 per cent of the claimed amount.

Two items were found to have inaccurate labelling, with the team and other local authorities working with both businesses to resolve the issues.

Jody Kerman, Head of Trading Standards at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “While the sample size on this occasion was relatively small, consumers should feel reassured about the high levels of compliance with this important requirement. Calorie labelling, whether on menus or on food packaging, is used by many to help make choices about the food they eat and they must have trust in the accuracy of these claims.”

Large food businesses such as restaurants, pubs, and cafes with 250 or more employees are required by law to inform customers of the calories in the food they offer, normally by displaying them on their menus.

Calorie information is required to be made available either in person or online before a purchase is made.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

It comes as a shop in Banbury, where smuggled shisha tobacco and excess capacity vapes were seized, has had its licence to sell alcohol revoked.

Trading standards applied to review the premises’ licence of Banbury Express Food & Wine, 179 Warwick Road, Banbury at a special Cherwell District Council licensing sub-committee hearing on 10 October.

It came after a test purchase of shisha tobacco was made back in April, with the product being sold for nearly £10 less than the rate of duty. The labelling also contained none of the required health warnings and made a prohibited reference to a taste or smell. 

Shisha, nicotine pouches and vapes were seized in a follow-up visit in July. The unlawful vapes contained five times more than the maximum capacity of nicotine-containing liquid allowed.

Councillor Dr Nathan Ley, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety for Oxfordshire County Council said: “The premises’ licence was the subject of a review because previous advice had not been heeded. Our officers try to work with businesses and provide detailed advice to help them comply with the law but when that is ignored, it’s important that the appropriate action is taken to protect the public and other businesses that are trading lawfully.”

Cherwell District Council’s licensing sub-committee heard that trading standards had identified similar issues in 2021. The business had been given extensive verbal and written advice, which had not been followed.

Councillor Rob Parkinson, Cherwell District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities, said: “It’s crucial that businesses selling alcohol follow the law. The licensing system is a powerful tool for helping prevent crime and disorder and Cherwell District Council is committed to ensuring premises are not selling products that pose a risk to public safety.”

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco or vapes should call 0300 999 6 999 or report it anonymously online at stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk

More information

Any person who made representations at the hearing has the right to appeal the decision by giving notice to the magistrates’ court within a period of 21 days beginning with the day upon which written notification of the determination was given, which was 14 October. 

 The decision to revoke the premises licence does not take effect until the appeal period has expired.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Here in Oxfordshire, we’ve been watching the rise of popularity of nicotine pouches closely and with growing concern. As a result, we are already expanding our work on tackling the supply and perception of illegal tobacco and vapes to cover protecting our residents from non-compliant nicotine pouches and other similar products.

So far, much of the work by councils have been focused on illegal cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco. Oxfordshire County Council has been keen to go further and seek to prevent the sale of non-compliant nicotine pouches as well.

Unlike similar tobacco pouches, commonly known as snus, nicotine pouches are a legal product. However, both on the high street and online, we are seeing a significant growth in illegal versions being sold locally and nationally – with incorrect labelling and product claims, and a lack of important safety information.

With limited regulatory controls covering these products, including no legal age restriction, they are often packaged in a child appealing way, referring to attractive features such as a range of flavours.

It is suspected that much of the growth in interest in these products, comes from social media ‘advertising’ and from influencers of young people.

A recent study commissioned by the Professional Footballers Association found that almost one in five male professional footballers are regularly using nicotine pouches and nearly half would like to quit.

In 2020, 34 percent of British adults had heard of them. By 2022 awareness had increased to 44 percent. The proportion of adults who had ever tried nicotine pouches was also significantly higher in 2022 (3.9 per cent) than in 2020 (2.7 per cent).

Nicotine pouches are also now being commonly sold in youth-centric settings like music festivals and, unsurprisingly, the use is increasing most among the younger demographic.

Tobacco-free nicotine pouches are a legal product, whereas tobacco pouches have been prohibited in the UK and most of Europe for many years. But some other  smokeless tobacco products such as gutka or paan masala are legal and are popular within Asian communities in the UK.

However, smokeless tobacco products (including snus) are often substantially cheaper than cigarettes, so prove an attractive alternative – regardless of their legal status.

Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards team have been aware of this and are already taking significant action to tackle the sale of illegal products and, crucially, non-compliant tobacco-free nicotine pouches.

As part of the ongoing work of seizing illegal disposal vapes and other tobacco products, the team have expanded their work to include nicotine pouches.

Our work in this area is in its infancy, compared to illegal tobacco and vapes, but we have already seized 564-unit packs so far and that will undoubtedly rise as we continue to develop a better understanding of nicotine pouches, how and where they are sold, distribution chains and points of importation - and as the product becomes more popular.

The nicotine pouches we are seizing are non-compliant because they are often not labelled in English or do not comply with important safety labelling requirements. 

Samples sent for testing have also shown erratic nicotine contents of pouches from the same unit pack and nicotine claims on the packaging that are wildly different from their actual content – prompting concerns around a lack of quality control and responsibility by producers.

These non-compliant products often have far greater nicotine content, and the concern is that, given these products are not currently age-restricted, a child may be able to purchase them, not be able to follow the instructions for use because they are not in English or are just missing entirely and potentially ingest large amounts of nicotine.

Many of the non-compliant products seized have been alongside illegal tobacco and other nicotine products, with sellers attempting to avoid detection via elaborate ‘hides’ and hidden storage locations.

Although in most cases we would look to work with retailers around non-compliant products, providing advice and removing items from sale, due to the seriousness of this situation, we already have two criminal investigations underway that involve the sale of nicotine pouches – in these cases they have been seized alongside illegal tobacco, shisha and vapes.

Like vapes, it’s evident that nicotine pouches are becoming more popular in the UK, particularly with the younger demographic. So, it’s our duty to make sure that the products being sold adhere to current legal standards and it is for lawmakers to consider what new regulations and legal powers might be necessary.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team is warning people that rogue traders will see it as the perfect opportunity to take advantage of residents who have flood damage.

Many reputable traders will be booked up, so the advice is to be wary of traders who can arrive to start the work the following day and push for a quick agreement to use them.

Councillor Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety, said: “Our trading standards team is keen to get across the message that people shouldn’t agree to offers of building work, home repairs or maintenance that come from a cold call. 

“Don’t be afraid to say no, don’t be pressured and check with others if the work is required and what is a fair price to pay. It really is a case of: ‘If it’s out of the blue, it’s not for you!’”

People should first check whether their insurance policy includes emergency assistance support. Most insurance companies will appoint their own tradespeople to carry out the work.

Where work is not covered by insurance, it might be tempting to hire the first person who offers to fix flood damage, especially if they claim to have worked for a neighbour. However, it's strongly recommended to avoid door to door services and get quotes from reputable traders.

Rogue traders may quote low prices but will soon demand more money and very often the work they claim needs doing is completely unnecessary.

The Buy with Confidence website helps Oxfordshire residents to find local traders who have been vetted and approved by trading standards to ensure that they operate in a legal, honest and fair way.

Top tips to help avoid unscrupulous traders:

• Avoid engaging anybody who calls unannounced offering their services.
• Check references and recommendations of traders and ask to see recent examples of completed work.
• If gas and or electrical work is involved, check they have the right qualifications and registrations.
  • Find or check a Gas Safe registered engineer in the area who can fit, fix and service gas appliances through the gas safe register.
  • Check electricians by visiting elelectricalcompetentperson.co.uk  
• Prepare a detailed description of the work needed.
• Meet with several prospective tradesmen. Check they have insurance – see proof.
• If a business is on a recommendation websites, look at how they assess traders who are on their site and how they deal with complaints
• Get at least three written quotes.
• Get a written contract, which should include:
  • The identity of the trader, their address and telephone number.
  • Details of costs and a payment schedule. Never pay the total amount up front and avoid paying cash. 
  • A timeframe for the work to be completed.
  • Details of what will happen with the rubbish to ensure it won’t be fly tipped or illegally dumped.
  • The identity and qualifications of any sub-contractors.
  • Details of any cancellation requirements, if applicable.

A contract should be signed before any work start and should include the total price for all work. Be weary and ask questions about any work that increases in price mid contract. Trading standards will mediate if a dispute arises.

Any Oxfordshire resident who has concerns about cold calling or potential scams or wants some pre contract advice can contact the Citizens Advice National Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133 or by visiting its website citizensadvice.org.uk.

For information about flooding, including details about flood recovery, please read the county council’s flood toolkit at oxfordshirefloodtoolkit.com. 

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

As electric blanket tests are normally very popular, they must be booked in advance to be guaranteed.

Sessions will be held at locations across the county. The full address and a specific time slot will be provided at time of booking:

September 2024:

• 16 September: Oxford City
• 17 September: South Oxfordshire
• 18 September: Cherwell
• 19 September: West Oxfordshire
• 20 September: Vale of White Horse
• 30 September: Oxford City  

October 2024:

• 1 October: South Oxfordshire
• 2 October: Cherwell
• 3 October: West Oxfordshire
• 4 October: Vale of White Horse

Councillor Dr Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Safety, said: "If the condition of a blanket is allowed to deteriorate there is the possibility it could become faulty, risking injury and fire.

“The service has been provided free of charge to residents for 25 years, and remains as valuable as ever: in 2023, of the 769 blankets tested, over 35 per cent failed the safety test.

“We therefore want to ensure that electric blankets are still safe for use. It’s free to come along, and there’s also free refreshments while you wait. Make sure you book as soon as you can, it is better to be safe than sorry.”

Appointments can be booked by visiting electric blanket testing, calling 01865 895999 (option three) or emailing duty.officer@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

In 2023/24 Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards team found 52 per cent of samples tested for labelling failed to comply with food standards laws, while 13 per cent failed compositional tests.

The service regularly undertakes testing on food products to ensure that labelling is accurate, and products do not contain any harmful materials or undeclared allergens such as peanuts or milk.

A total of 90 samples were collected from over 40 business premises within the county and a few online businesses with 84 tested for labelling.

Councillor Dr Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Safety, said: “Ensuring the safety and accurate labelling of food for its ingredients, nutritional content, and claims is crucial. Sometimes, it can literally be a matter of life or death."

"Whether intentional or not, an unreported allergen or misleading labelling can have severe consequences for both consumers and companies, making it crucial to understand and follow the laws.

“This is why I welcome testing by our brilliant Trading Standard team, who work with businesses to keep consumers safe.”

A range of foods were submitted including seasonings and spices for undeclared peanuts, milk for lead, canned vegetables for nutritional analysis, tea and rice for pesticides, flour for the mycotoxin ‘deoxynivalenol’, a variety of gluten free labelled foods for the presence of gluten, and canned fish for the presence of histamine.

Labelling issues identified included:

• Incorrect format of “best before end” durability dates
• The name of the food and the net weight not being in the same field of vision
• Instructions for use not being provided (instructions should be provided if consumers would find it difficult to use the food correctly without them)
• Incorrect nutrition declarations with higher than declared levels of carbohydrate, fibre and protein being found as well as incorrect energy calculations based on the declared nutrients
• General non-specific health claims being used without the support of an authorised health claim
• No name and address of a food business operator in Great Britain responsible for the food information
• Mandatory food information not provided in English

Jody Kerman, Head of Prevention, Protection and Trading Standards at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “We are all vulnerable consumers when it comes to the food we buy, as we must trust the labelling and claims made.

“Trading Standards has an important role in testing products and monitoring the market to ensure that food is safe, accurately labelled, and that consumers are getting what they paid for.”

Where issues were identified, Trading Standards would either work with businesses to resolve any concerns or bring them to the attention of other local authorities or the Food Standards Agency as appropriate.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

Following an investigation by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team, Harry Davies (28) of Braithwaite Close, Banbury and Ben Birch (45) of Steeple Aston were both sentenced at Oxford Crown Court to 45 months imprisonment for fraudulent trading.

Between March and September of 2021, Davies and Birch cold-called at the home of an elderly resident in Headington, Oxford, with offers to carry out work to their property, including gardening, guttering, fencing, widow replacement and the laying of new tarmac.

In total, Davies and Birch obtained payments totalling over £477,000.

However, the investigation by trading standards found that the work to the property had been poorly carried out and, in some cases, not completed at all.

Two independent surveyors identified that, if the work had been conducted to the correct standard, it was estimated to have cost less than £85,000.

In sentencing the pair, the judge said that this case had a host of distressing features and was a “shocking example of gross exploitation of a very vulnerable person”. 

Councillor Dr Nathan Ley, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety, said: “These offences were carried out with significant planning and over a long period, with lasting impact on the victim and their family. The perpetrators displayed cynical attempts to win their victim’s trust and allay suspicion.  They could not have failed to appreciate they were vulnerable yet continued to prey on them. 

“I’m proud of the trading standards team in bringing this matter before the court and we will continue to work with the police and others to ensure that such fraud is identified and those responsible held to account”.

Jody Kerman, Head of Trading Standards at Oxfordshire County Council, said “We advise residents to say no to cold-calling offers of home repairs and maintenance and for anyone looking for a reliable trader to always get a number of detailed quotes. You can also check with friends and family for trusted recommendations and consider a trading standards’ approved trader from our Buy with Confidence scheme.

“Any Oxfordshire resident that has concerns about activity of this nature should report it to trading standards using the Citizens Advice national consumer helpline 0808 223 1133. However, if they believe a crime is in progress, call 999”.

More information

His Honour Judge Daly identified this case carried high culpability and high impact and therefore took a starting point to sentencing of six years. Taking into account aggravating and mitigating features this was reduced to 60 months, then a 25 per cent discount for plea, reducing to total of 45 months imprisonment.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

This major building project will expand the school’s capacity from 210 to 315 primary pupil places, plus there will be 39 new nursery places. Temporary classrooms will be replaced by permanent structures.

The project will be managed by the Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust, which is responsible for the school, working in partnership with the county council and David Wilson Homes, who is delivering a new housing development to the north of the school.

Lisa Lyons, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director of Children Services, said: “These are exciting plans for Grove Church of England Primary School, reflecting our ongoing commitment to provide high quality teaching and learning environments for Oxfordshire’s children, and our success in securing resources for education from housing developers.

“This is a significant investment, adding nearly 150 places for primary and nursery pupils to meet future needs.”

The new school building will consist of seven classrooms, a hall and kitchen, main entrance reception area, and administrative and staff accommodation.

David Wilson Homes will provide the school with a full-sized all-weather sports pitch, and a new entrance into the school site with parking for staff and visitors. This will be on additional school land that forms part of the Monks Farm housing development.

Details of when work will start will be confirmed in coming months, based on the timetable for delivery of the access road by David Wilson Homes.

Your Oxfordshire

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

The project’s focus has been to work with those who administer botox and fillers for cosmetic purposes to ensure they are aware of legislation and taking appropriate action to prevent underage sales.

It aims to educate providers about what they need to do to comply with the legislation regarding underage sales and assess the level of knowledge to minimise future possible contraventions.

Jody Kerman, Head of Trading Standards at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Botox and fillers are both very popular cosmetic procedures right now, even among younger age groups.

“Whilst legislation prohibits the administration of botox and fillers to children, we know that access to these procedures to those under 18 remains a real concern and appreciate some young people may try to access them regardless.

“Therefore, we want to work with businesses and practitioners to ensure they are taking the right steps to protect both themselves and young people, by making sure they are complying with legal requirements.”

As part of its work, the team identified and sought to contact businesses that provide botox and fillers. They used a broad approach to send information and advice to 74 businesses that could potentially offer the service.

Overall, 27 businesses were visited by trading standards, who found that most of them were aware of the legal and ethical requirements to not inject anyone under 18.

However, some of them were not aware of the offence of booking an appointment for a child, and few of them asked for proof of age or recorded refusals. These businesses were advised to use a 'Challenge 25' scheme and to keep records of age verification and refusals. 

A proposed national licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England is currently in being considered. This would regulate the qualifications and standards of practitioners.

Find out more about this by visiting gov.uk.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

A warning has been issued by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team about the dangers of illegal disposable vapes after total seizures across the county reached 10,000.

This reflects a national trend amid safety concerns and a proposed ban on disposable vapes announced by government in January. Figures from the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) charity suggest 7.6 per cent of 11 to 17 year olds now vape regularly or occasionally, up from 4.1 per cent in 2020.

Councillor Dr Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety, said: “Rechargeable vapes are a proven tool for adult smokers to help with quitting smoking and are almost twice as effective as other forms of nicotine replacement therapy. However, they should not be used by children or non-smokers as nicotine is highly addictive, with withdrawal sometimes causing anxiety, trouble concentrating and headaches. This is alongside other unknown long-term effects on health.”

How to spot an illegal vape?

Check the packaging for the following tell-tale signs that a disposable vape may be illegal:

• A nicotine content above 2 per cent (or 20mg/ml)
• The capacity above 2ml
• A puff count above 1,200
• No UK address for an importer/manufacturer
• A health warning that doesn’t include the exact wording “This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance”

Jody Kerman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Head of Trading Standards, said: "We have recently seen a very concerning but unfortunately predictable development where reasonably sophisticated concealments, secured by electromagnet, have been used in an attempt to evade detection. This is clear evidence that illegal vapes are now being deliberately sold by organised crime groups”.

“Whilst the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is very welcome, this is clearly going to be a significant problem for many years to come”.

More information

Anyone concerned about the sale of illegal vapes in Oxfordshire can report it anonymously using the Illegal tobacco and vape hotline on 0300 999 6 999 or visit stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk

Any business considering purchasing disposable vapes for retail sale can refer to Oxfordshire County Council’s online guidance.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.