Campaigns

Campaigns

Our campaign work programme has been carefully developed from our Business Service Plan which in turn has been developed to provide both effective and timely responses to a wide range of important issues which come to the services attention. Typically many of these issues concern the safety of products, related issues around age restricted products such as Vaping products, the mis-description of goods and services and also doorstep crime and scams.

Issues come to the services attention from a wide range of sources including policy and legislation brought into force by Government, concerns expressed by local residents, visitors to the city, elected members, MP's, or intelligence and information received from external partners such as Northumbria Police, HMRC, Public Health England and other trading standard services. 

Information on the main campaigns to be developed through 2025/2026 can be found on the following webpages;

We have also previously conducted specific campaigns on imported cosmetic products, electrical safety, and copycat websites amongst others, and will continue to monitor and take direct enforcement action where any non-compliances are found. 

E-Bikes and E-Scooters Fire Safety Advice

E-bikes and e-scooters are becoming increasingly popular. Most are powered by lithium-ion batteries which can be charged in the home. The use of these batteries in a wide range of household products is becoming increasingly common.

It is important when charging e-bikes and e-scooters, you do so safely to avoid a risk of a fire starting and putting your families and homes at risk.

With an increased use of e-bikes and e-scooters, comes a corresponding fire safety concern associated with their charging and storage. The use of these products is expected to continue to rise. Some fire services and fire investigators have seen a rise in e-bike and e-scooter battery fires.

Currently there is limited data relating to the number of fires, but London Fire Brigade reported 8 fires caused by e-bikes and e-scooters in 2019. This rose to twenty-four in 2020 and fifty-nine by December 2021.

On occasions batteries can fail catastrophically, they can ‘explode’ and/or lead to a rapidly developing fire. For media stories go to: BBC News and Sky News of the 27 July 2023 and the Chronicle of the 31 July 2023. 

For further information go to NFCC and to  access the OPSS safety poster (pdf 203 kb).  

Newsletter

In order to highlight and promote the work of the City Council's Trading Standards Service, we publish a biannual newsletter. To access a copy of our newsletter go to High Standard (pdf 1.2 mb). If you would like to be placed on our email list to receive a copy of this newsletter and all future editions, please contact us.

Contact

Trading Standards Service, Directorate of City Operations, Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services, Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QH. Email: tradingstandards@newcastle.gov.uk

Did you know?

Sale of Disposable Vapes To Be Banned 

The sale of disposable vapes will be banned in England from the 1 June 2025.

The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024 SI 2024 No. 1216 have now been published. 

Part 2 prohibits the supply, offer for supply or possession for supply of single-use vapes. Breach of these prohibitions is an offence (regulation 4), subject to the mutual recognition principle in the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 (c. 27) where applicable.

A civil sanctions regime enables regulators to impose a range of civil sanctions (regulation 9 and the Schedule). These are fixed monetary penalties, compliance notices, stop notices and enforcement undertakings. The Regulations make provision for the procedure relating to these sanctions and the available appeal mechanisms. Failure to comply with a stop notice is an offence (paragraph 16 of the Schedule). All appeals relating to a civil sanction are to the First-tier Tribunal.

Regulations 8 and 10 provide for enforcement officers to have powers of entry to carry out the necessary investigations in order to determine whether an offence has been committed.

Regulation 11 provides for the Secretary of State to give a direction for the disposal or other treatment of single-use vapes in respect of which an offence has been committed. Regulation 12 provides for publication of information on enforcement action taken by regulators. Regulation 13 provides that guidance relating to the use of civil sanctions must be prepared and consulted on, and specifies information to be included in such guidance. Regulation 14 contains provision for review of the Regulations.

 

Related Pages

Need more information?

Trading Standards service, Directorate of City Operations, Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services, Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QH. Email: tradingstandards@newcastle.gov.uk  

Citizens Advice Consumer service: 0808 2231133

 

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