Barnet Council's Trading Standards has seized over £500,000 worth of illegal goods and issued £123,000 in fines, according to the Trading Standards Annual Report for 2025-2026. The report detailed over 1,600 consumer complaints and two successful criminal prosecutions.
The Trading Standards team confiscated more than 26,000 items deemed illegal, counterfeit and unsafe products.
While specific reasons for illegality were not always detailed, the seizure of vapes raised particular concern due to the potential toxicity of ingested nicotine and tank capacities exceeding the legal limit of two millilitres. Evidence of smuggled goods, contravening licensing objectives, was also uncovered.
Councillor Jennifer Grocock sought clarification on the fines issued to letting agents. Karl Schultz, Team Leader for Trading Standards, explained that penalties for non-compliance can reach up to £30,000, depending on the offence and the business's financial standing. Specifically, not being a member of a client money protection scheme can incur fines of up to £30,000, while other offences, such as failing to display certification on a website or charging prohibited fees, can result in fines of up to £5,000.
In total, fines amounting to over £123,000 were issued to 18 letting agents. The report also highlighted the seizure of vapes and their potential public health implications. Trading Standards is particularly concerned about the severe consequences for children if a vape with an oversized tank were to break and its contents ingested, given the toxicity of nicotine.
The full details of the council's activities are available in the Public reports pack for the Licensing and General Purposes Committee meeting on 1st June 2026 Public reports pack 01st-Jun-2026 19.00 Licensing and General Purposes Committee.
