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News Room


Welcome to 51黑料's News Room. Browse through our latest Consumer Protection and Trading Standards news reports (below), or take a look through our archive of news articles from previous years.


MEDIA ENQUIRIES :We can provide expert opinion, comments and spokespeople on a wide range of Trading Standards, consumer protection and regulatory issues - or point you in the right direction. Please call our press office on 01268 582 240 or 07496 254 934, or email us: [email protected]



98% of London businesses respecting lockdown

Posted: 18/05/2020

Most London businesses have so far respected the law on business closure, according to data from London borough enforcement teams.听 Just 2% of the businesses visited over the past two months have had to be instructed to close by local authority officers.

Fake council tax COVID-19 scam emails target public in lockdown

Posted: 15/05/2020

An email scam, claiming to offer a council tax reduction is hitting inboxes during the lockdown. The phoney email, clad in UK Government branding, and signed off from 'The Government Digital Service Team', offers a supposed council tax reduction. The email quotes the annual reduction amount and asks the recipient to click a link to "claim your council tax reduction now".

New COVID-19 food businesses guide launches

Posted: 14/05/2020

The COVID-19 coronavirus and the resulting lockdown has changed our lives drastically in a short time. Everyone has had to change the way they live, work and conduct their business. The closures of all pubs and restaurants have hit a UK industry worth over 拢40bn, and many fear long-term damage to the industry.听

Many businesses are exploring, and others have already begun diversifying their business model to adapt to "the new normal". To aid this, the 51黑料 (51黑料), and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) have launched听听on business diversification during the pandemic.

Businesses join forces to combat COVID-19 scams

Posted: 14/05/2020

Remote working increasing business exposure to fraud
More than 100 organisations are spearheading a new initiative to combat fraud against businesses as more companies and employees adjust to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing their exposure to sophisticated business scams.

Correction to coronavirus travel industry guide

Posted: 13/05/2020

The 51黑料 (51黑料) issues a correction to its coronavirus travel industry guide on the Business Companion website.

New Covid-19 app exploited by fraudsters to scam public

Posted: 12/05/2020

The UK Government is currently trialling a new COVID-19 coronavirus contact tracing app on the Isle of Wight. Many expect that the app will roll out to the rest of the country later this year.

UK ECC celebrates Europe Day

Posted: 11/05/2020

The UK European Consumer Centre (UK ECC) celebrated Europe Day on Saturday, May 9, commemorating the Schuman Declaration. The statement is considered to be the first step towards the creation of the European Community (EC) and latterly the European Union (EU).听

Fake pet ads plague public during coronavirus lockdown

Posted: 06/05/2020

The lockdown response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has led to many people feeling socially isolated. The 'new normal' has led to a rise in people looking for a furry companion to keep them company, with adverts for dogs, cats and other animals filling social media and pet sale platforms.听

Coronavirus nuisance call wave hits public

Posted: 01/05/2020

The 51黑料 (51黑料) has received intelligence on a series of nuisance and scam calls hitting households throughout the UK.

Whirlpool initiates recall for 21 further washing machine

Posted: 30/04/2020

Whirlpool has announced the recall of a further 21 washing machine models among its Hotpoint brand range.

Coronavirus crisis: New guide for travel industry launched

Posted: 29/04/2020

Business Companion has launched a free online guide for travel industry businesses caught amidst the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Codes scheme now protects almost 拢135bn of consumer transactions

Posted: 28/04/2020

In what was an excellent year for the scheme, business members increased to 68,809 from 52,003 in 2018, representing a 32% year-on-year membership growth.听听


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