Posted on Monday 15th December 2025
Councillor Anthony Screen says that the Trading Standards team will "continue to tackle the sale of illegal, illicit or fake goods, taking action against those businesses and rogue traders caught selling them."
Illegal vapes, dangerous counterfeit children’s toys and thousands of pounds of illicit cigarettes are amongst the items seized by Trading Standards officers in Staffordshire this year.
The haul included more than 10,000 unsafe and non-compliant products, including 800-plus fake Labubu dolls from a local market.
Officers also removed 16,455 illegal disposable vapes, along with almost £400,000 worth of illicit cigarettes and tobacco from the market.
In the same period, 139 vulnerable people were provided with support to avoid becoming victims of scams or rogue traders. The authority’s animal health team also rescued 118 livestock animals, helping avoid further suffering and welfare issues.
Anthony Screen, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Resilience at Staffordshire County Council, said:
“Keeping Staffordshire safe is our top priority and this year’s results show the vital role Trading Standards plays in protecting our communities.
“Teams continue to tackle the sale of illegal, illicit or fake goods, taking action against those businesses and rogue traders caught selling them. Every item seized and removed from the market and every shop closed down is a result.
“Buying such items may seem harmless enough but it’s never a good idea. It’s usually organised crime gangs who benefit, with profits fuelling gang activity. You can also end up with dangerous or poor-quality products and ultimately out of pocket. Anyone with concerns about the sale of illegal goods should contact the service.”
Some of the top fakes, frauds, scams and successes of 2025 include:
- 10,069 unsafe and non-compliant products, valued at £262,897, removed from the marketplace or brought to compliance.
- 840 counterfeit and dangerous Labubu dolls seized from Penkridge Market in August raid.
- £399,656 of illicit tobacco profits taken out of the black market.
- 16,455 disposable vapes seized.
- 312,310 illicit cigarettes seized.
- 85,610 grammes of illegal hand-rolling tobacco seized.
- 115 illicit cigars seized.
- 139 vulnerable people provided with support to avoid becoming victims of scams or rogue traders.
- 118 livestock animals prevented from suffering further welfare issues.
- 114 Food premises checked for food safety.
- 87% of businesses visited that were either compliant when visited or brought into compliance.
- 59 animal feed premises checked for animal feed safety.
People can report the sale of illegal and counterfeit goods online at Trading Standards Report It - Staffordshire County Council or call the confidential helpline on 01785 330356.