Operation Rogue Trader enforcement operation

As part of Rogue Trader Awareness Week twenty five vehicles were stopped during a multi-agency operation at Markfield Services in Leicestershire yesterday (Wednesday 25 September).

The day of action, which was led by the Police, is designed to disrupt and stop tradespeople who exploit customers as well as aggressive doorstep sellers.

Police officers from the Roads Policing Team worked alongside teams from Leicestershire Trading Standards, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) the Environment Agency, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) to pull vehicles over to check them for a range of offences.  Officers used their stop and search powers and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) to pull over drivers who were then spoken to by an officer and staff from the other agencies to establish if they were operating legally. 

Of the twenty five vehicles that were pulled over into the Markfield Services on the A511, four  were seized for having no insurance, two were given prohibition notices by the DVSA for faulty tyres and too heavy loads and the Environment Agency spoke to several drivers who didn’t have the correct waste carriers license.

Sergeant Mike Hooper, from the forces’ Road Crime Team, led the operation.  He said: “Unfortunately, there are people out there who prey on the elderly and vulnerable, often conning them out of vast sums of money for work that is substandard, unnecessary or over-priced.  Working closely with partners such as Trading Standards and the DVSA on Operation Rogue Trader sends a strong message to those tradespeople that they won’t get away with it indefinitely.” 

Gary Connors from Leicestershire Trading Standards said: “We welcome the opportunity to work with other agencies on Operation Rogue Trader as an effective method of tackling unfair trading practices.

“Operation Rogue Trader is one of a number of initiatives which Trading Standards carries out throughout the year to crack down on the menace of rogue traders. We would encourage anyone who may have any information on rogue traders operating in their area to report them on 03454 040506.”