Trading standards

Information about trading standards services in Redcar and Cleveland

Imports

Market surveillance of consumer goods imported via Teesport

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Trading Standards Team works as part of the Office of Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) Product Safety at Ports and Borders Programme. OPSS is part of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The programme aims to ensure that consumers goods imported via Teesport comply with product safety laws, via market surveillance techniques including collation and dissemination of information, advice, guidance, and partnership working. Enforcement action such as detaining goods, testing products and refusing entry will be undertaken by our officers.

What is the role of the Trading Standards Team in the programme?

Our role in the programme at Teesport is work in conjunction with Government Strategy to ensure that consumer goods arriving at the UK are safe.

In undertaking this work, our main legislation is as follows:

  • Regulation 765/2008 on Accreditation and Market Surveillance (GB RAMS)
  • Consumer Protection Act 1987 – and Legislation formed within that Act
  • Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984

Consignments subject to an intervention are identified by the Border Referral Team at OPSS through analysis of risk and intelligence.

Our officers will carry out inspections of high-risk consumer products arriving in the UK via Teesport and may take samples in order to assess compliance with relevant product safety legislation.

Product samples may be subject to an in-house examination against relevant safety standards and Regulations.  Alternatively, samples may be submitted for further testing at an external independent test facility.

If products are found to be non-compliant with safety laws, they may be refused entry, or importers may be required to carry out re-labelling under the supervision of their Local Trading Standards.  Products presenting a serious safety risk may be destroyed.

Our officers take on a national role to ensure the best possible security measures are in place to protect the public across the whole of the UK from unsafe products.

Information for importers and agents

If you receive a notification on the Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF), you need to send documentation to the Border Referral Team.

Importers or agents importing non-food products may receive an entry route notification on CHIEF (Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight), which informs them that Trading Standards have an involvement with the entry.

This means the following documentation needs to be submitted to the Border Referral Team at OPSS to opss.borders@beis.gov.uk

  • Entry acceptance advice
  • C88
  • Commercial Invoice
  • Packing list
  • Bill of lading

This documentation will be assessed by the Border Referral Team at OPSS and referred to Redcar and Cleveland Trading Standards team if appropriate.  You will be notified when Redcar and Cleveland Trading Standards team place a hold on Destin8.

Detaining consignments on entry

If a hold notification is placed on Destin8 this means that Officers from Redcar and Cleveland Trading Standards team will be conducting a physical inspection of goods in the importer’s consignment.

Our team will notify Teesport or the relevant ETSF (External Temporary Storage Facility) where the goods are being held, that the consignment needs to be inspected.

When the Port/ ETSF have got the consignment ready to be inspected, one of our Officers attends the Port/ETSF to carry out the inspection. 

The team take samples of goods and will contact importers and agents if further information is required. 

Such information might include Declarations of Conformity for some products as well as supporting technical and compliance documentation such as test reports.

Consignments are released if the goods are found to be compliant with all safety laws and standards. 

If goods are found to be non-compliant, they may be refused entry into the UK or in some circumstances, may be released for further work under the supervision of the importer’s Local Trading Standards Authority. 

Unsafe goods may be refused entry and destroyed.

Advice and guidance

Further advice and guidance can be found in the documents below.

You can find further advice and guidance relating to construction products on the business companion website.

Please contact the imports team by email for further information or support.