Gloucestershire County Council Trading Standards recently took part in a national day of action to protect vulnerable residents from rogue traders.

The action was carried out on the A417 and A419 corridor in the Cotswolds, a major route linking the M4 and M5. It was in response to reports of traders, mostly those offering home improvements and gardening, ripping consumers off.

During 'Operation Rogue Trader', 18 traders were given advice packs and had their contracts and awareness of consumer rights checked.

A number of vehicles were stopped during the operation, of which two were seized, three had no MOT, two had no excise licence, and two were defective. In addition one driver was reported or having no licence, driving not in accordance with licence and carrying passengers in a dangerous manner.

'Operation Rogue Trader' was planned using intelligence from previous complaints. Also taking part were Gloucestershire Police, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Immigration Enforcement, The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Cotswold District Council and the Environment Agency.

Over the past year, Gloucestershire Trading Standards has received more than 730 complaints about traders offering or carrying out home improvements or gardening work.

Examples of poor quality work are often reported to trading standards, but even more concerning are instances where householders are told they need emergency repairs carried out for safety reasons when this work is not required at all.

Dave Norman, cabinet member responsible for trading standards, said: "Protecting the most vulnerable and continuing to reduce criminal activity is the key priority for our Trading Standards team.

"Rogue traders and doorstep sellers can make people's lives a misery and spot checks like these are important in helping us to identify them and learn more about how and where they are operating."

Andy Hermiston, acting chief fire officer and head of trading standards, said: "Our team regularly supports our vulnerable residents when they have been targeted by scammers and rogues, the stories are heart-breaking and we are committed to working with our partners to bring offenders to justice."