Trading Standards General Information

We help maintain a fair trading environment for businesses and consumers within the Stirling Council and Clackmannanshire Council areas. To do that we enforce a wide range of Trading Standards laws.

View our Enforcement Policy here.

Advice

• Guidance on Business advice topics
• Guidance on Consumer advice topics
• Buy with confidence

We provide advice and guidance on Trading Standards topics to businesses who are based in the Stirling Council or Clackmannanshire Council areas.

For business advice please email us.

We aim to provide an initial response to you within 5 working days or you can obtain comprehensive guidance documents below.

Get Business Advice Guides

In response to concerns about 'rogue traders', a partnership of Local Authority Trading Standards Services have formed the “Buy With Confidence” Scheme.

The scheme provides consumers with a list of local businesses which have given their commitment to trading fairly.

Every business listed has undergone a series of detailed checks by Trading Standards before being approved as a member of the scheme.

Find a Local Business

Whilst we make every effort to ensure that members comply with the law, we cannot guarantee that their work will never give rise to a complaint.

National list of members on the Buy With Confidence website

If you are looking for a business to undertake works you can also visit https://approvedtrader.scot/

This is a Scotland wide directory of all Trading Standards approved traders including those on the Buy With Confidence scheme.

All requests for advice should be directed to our partner agency – Advice Direct Scotland who can be contacted on 0808 164 6000 or via the consumer advice website.

Their advisers will:

• Give you practical advice on how to resolve your consumer problem
• Inform you of the consumer laws which may apply to your situation
• Pass relevant information to the appropriate Trading Standards authority for consideration/further investigation

They cannot:

• Obtain a refund for you, or take court action for you
• Recommend a business or tell which particular businesses to avoid
• Investigate complaints about food hygiene or food standards, this is dealt with by Environmental Health.

We continue to monitor all contacts that are received via Advice Direct Scotland. These will be assessed and dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Europe

For Europe-wide consumer advice, visit the UK European Consumer Centre

In order to sell fireworks, you must register with the Council to do so. The licence application form below should be completed and returned. Please ensure you have read the guidance notes included with the application form. A licence will be granted for storage, subject to an inspection of the suitability of your intended storage. Once licensed you are able to sell fireworks at specified times of the year which are:

• Bonfire Night: 15 October - 10 November
• Diwali: 3 days before and on the day of the festival
• New Year: 26 December - 31 December
• Chinese New Year: 3 days before and on the day of the festival

Storage of fireworks on a licence must be in compliance with the conditions set out in the licence.

If you wish to sell fireworks at any other time of the year you will need to purchase an additional licence. For further information please contact us.

Download an Explosives Registration Form

Animal feed hygiene

The Feed (Hygiene and Enforcement)(Scotland) Regulations 2005 are intended to ensure that the storage and use of animal feeding stuff are adequately controlled. The Regulations apply to most businesses who handle animal feeding stuff, including manufacturers, suppliers, farmers and livestock hauliers. For more information, see the Food Standards Agency advice

Petroleum storage certificates and licence

Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014

There are now two types of document, depending on whether the petrol is stored at workplace premises or non-workplace premises:

• A Petroleum Storage Certificate applies to petrol dispensing premises which are workplaces. This includes a petrol filling station (PFS).
• A Petroleum Licence applies only to storage at domestic or other non-workplace premises.

A Petroleum Storage Certificate is issued for particular premises. It does not contain detailed conditions, but the Regulations set out some basic rules, such as:

• Petrol must only be dispensed:
  - For use in a motor vehicle or motorboat, or
  - To fill a suitable portable container or a demountable fuel tank, or
  - For the purpose of maintenance or calibration of the dispenser.
• No person under 16 years of age is to operate a dispenser.
• No person is to supply or allow the supply of, petrol to a person under 16 years of age.

Before completing an application, please contact us for guidance on any supporting information which may be required, such as drawings.

Annual fees from 1 April 2024 are:

In addition, operators of workplace premises must comply with the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR), which require operators to carry out a risk assessment in respect of the storage and dispensing of fuels at the premises. Guidance documents can be found on The Energy Institute website

A Petroleum Licence (not a Petroleum Storage Certificate) is issued to a person to permit the storage of petrol for private use at domestic or non-workplace premises. The DSEAR regulations do not apply to these premises.

30 litres of petrol can be stored at home or at non-workplace premises (including motor vehicles, boats and aircraft) without informing the PEA provided that common storage requirements are met (see below) and the storage place is fire separated from the rest of the building and any exit routes.

The petrol can be stored in:

• Suitable portable metal (20ltrs) or plastic containers (10ltrs)
• One demountable fuel tank (30ltrs)

A combination of the above as long as no more than 30 litres is kept.

If you intend to store petrol, please contact us for advice. Before issuing a new Certificate or Licence, we are required to ensure that the installation is suitable for the intended purpose. We can provide information on current industry standards for the design and construction of filling stations.

Further information:

Storing Petrol Safely
Portable Petrol Storage Containers

Below is a brief summary of each area of trading law that we enforce.

Prices

Most types of goods for sale must have their prices indicated.

Safety

Wide-ranging safety laws apply to many classes of goods, such as toys, fireworks and electrical products. These must carry the UKCA mark or a CE mark which denotes that the product complies with current safety standards.

Credit

We enforce regulations about credit advertising and licensing. We provide advice on other aspects of consumer credit law.

Fair Trading

We enforce regulations which control many trading practices which would adversely affect consumers, such as false descriptions and banned practices.

Counterfeiting

We enforce laws concerning the counterfeiting of goods. Copied goods have included alcoholic drinks, computer software, cosmetics and designer clothing.

Weights and measures

We inspect weighing and measuring equipment used in both retail and industrial premises, such as shops, pubs, petrol stations and factories. We also check the quantity markings of goods on retail sale.

Licensing

We administer petroleum storage licensing and explosives registrations.

Tobacco and NVP

We inspect all premises selling tobacco and NVP products to ensure compliance with current legislation. Additionally we ensure compliance with public health legislation such as plain packaging, the tank capacity of NVP products and the tobacco display ban.

Under Age Sales

We undertake under age sales operations using volunteers to ensure that age restricted products are not being sold to persons under the legal age to purchase them. In terms of the legislation we enforce this includes tobacco, NVPs, spray paints and fireworks.