Last month we carried out an underage sales operation.
We visited 6 premises in Ipswich and Felixstowe. Sadly, three retailers sold vapes to our underage volunteer.
Intelligence was received from Police and members of the public on all of the retailers, with each given advice in previous months on their responsibilities, and told that we will be visiting to test their due diligence. Investigations will continue.
The legal age to buy vapes or e-cigarettes in the UK is 18 years old.
It has been illegal to sell e-cigarettes or vape liquid to anyone under 18 since 2015, however, we are seeing an increase in the reports from members of the public and Police of retailers breaching these restrictions.
If you have any information on age restricted products being sold to minors, please report it to us via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.
Watch out for Energy Bills Support Scheme scams!
You don’t need to apply for the scheme.
You don’t need to give your bank details.
Get a personalised action plan to prevent cyber attacks by answering a few questions. The National Cyber Security Centre's Cyber Action Plan creates a simple guide for you to follow to keep cyber criminals at bay in 2023, and takes less than 10 minutes.
More than 60% of UK businesses have shifted to working via new technologies since the start of the pandemic.
The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has confirmed that the five cases of vesicular disease in pigs identified in farms in England between June and September 2022 were Seneca Valley Virus (SVV).
Seneca Valley Virus only affects pigs for a short period with infected pigs making a full recovery. There is no risk to human health.
SVV is not a notifiable or reportable disease in the UK nor a listed disease by the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH). However, the clinical signs however do resemble notifiable vesicular diseases, in particular Foot-and-Mouth Disease. Defra is therefore calling on pig producers and vets to continue to promptly report any clinical signs of vesicular disease in pigs so that APHA can carry out an official investigation.
High biosecurity standards should always be maintained. For pig keepers this means:
- Regular reviews of their biosecurity measures and address any weaknesses, minimising movements of vehicles, people or equipment onto pig units
- Controlling rodents, flies and as far as possible, wild birds
- Isolating incoming pigs away from the resident herd for at least one month
- Sourcing pig food or ingredients from reputable pig feed companies and never feeding kitchen or catering waste or meat to pigs
- Following the National Pig Association import protocol if importing live pigs
- To minimise the risk of disease introduction and keepers should inspect their pigs at least once a day, staying vigilant for lameness and vesicular (blister) foot or snout/mouth lesions. The advice applies to all pig keepers, no matter how many pigs they own.
Pig keepers and the public are also reminded that it is illegal to feed pigs meat or meat products, and kitchen or catering waste. Doing so endangers the health of the pigs and risks introducing exotic diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease or African swine fever, into the country.
Did you know that you can now report to Action Fraud using British Sign Language?
Just download the FREE SignVideo app, click on the Sign Directory and search for 'Action Fraud', to connect to a BSL interpreter.
Public Health Suffolk have launched a new campaign for 2023 which focuses on 12 ‘emotional needs’ – one for each month – to bring you practical tips, people’s stories and support to keep you well.
To help you stay well, Suffolk Mind use an ‘organising idea’ that we all have physical and emotional needs and a set of skills and resources that we’re born with to meet those needs.
Control, one of the 12 'emotional needs', is the focus in January to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing.
To meet the need for control, we need to feel that we have some say over our lives and personal choices. It can be helpful to recognise what we can take personal responsibility for and what we can influence and accept that there are some things which we cannot control.
For January, they are sharing practical ways you can control your finances – often an issue following the festive season and even more so with the rising cost of living.
Oak Furniture Superstore are recalling over 100 various styles of upholstered sofas and chairs due to a fire risk.
The products have been identified as presenting a high risk of fire as the foam and covers fail to meet the requirements of the relevant standard BS5852. If the cover or filling of the sofa or chair came into contact with a naked flame, it would catch fire and continue to flame.
Consumers who have purchased affected products will be contacted by the company.
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