Summer 2012 - Trading Standards Institute

Animal Health Officers were called to assist earlier in the year when 4
ponies were found wandering around Waterwells Business Park. The
officers went to the site and worked with police to ensure that the
ponies did not come to any harm.
The animals were very nervous but after a lot of patient work, they
were eventually tethered with the help of staff from the Equestrian
centre. Officers arranged for a charity to take care of the ponies while
attempts were made to locate the owners who had abandoned them.
Wine connoisseurs in the county have
been urged to be on the lookout for
illegal wine.
The request comes after officers, acting
on a complaint from a member of the
public, seized a quantity of illegal wine
after visiting a Cheltenham restaurant.
The wine was labelled Pinot Grigio
produced in Bulgaria. All wine should
have the producer details and the region
of production on the label, but this
information was missing on the illegal
bottles. Please call if you have been
supplied with this illegal wine to help us
in our investigation.
Poisons sellers and firework retailers can now
apply and pay for their licences online thanks to
the new interactive web features introduced by
Gloucestershire County Council.
The online forms aim to provide applicants with
a step by step user-friendly way of applying for
a licence. We hope in due course to make all
our licence applications available in this way.
This is in line with the policy of reducing costs
by enabling our customers to use our services
via the web rather than by direct contact.
One of the functions of Trading Standards is the licensing of petrol
storage in the county. We are often asked how much fuel can be stored
at home before a licence is necessary. This was particularly true during
the recent threat of a tanker drivers‟ strike when a government minister
advised keeping a „couple of jerry cans in the garage‟.
Storing fuel presents a potential hazard. Petrol and other fuels give off
vapour which are extremely flammable and should be treated with the
utmost care.
Storage of fuel at home or the workplace, unless licensed, is restricted
by law to either metal containers with a maximum capacity of 10 litres
or approved plastic containers of a maximum 5 litres capacity. These
containers should be designed for the purpose and must be fitted with a
screw cap or closure to prevent leakage of liquid or vapour. Petrol and diesel fuel should be stored in no more than two
10 litre metal containers or two 5 litre plastic containers. They should be clearly labelled to indicate their contents.
Petrol filling stations operate under licence conditions, which do not allow drivers to dispense fuel into other types of
container. At home, fuel containers must not be stored in living accommodation such as kitchens, living rooms and
bedrooms or under staircases. Any storage place should be well away from living areas in case of fire and it should be
secured, to protect against the possibility of vandalism or arson.
If you have any enquiries about InBRIEF please contact Simon Doble at tradstds@gloucestershire.gov.uk
For more information visit our website at: www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/glos