Residents in the Styvechale and Courthouse Green area of Coventry have reported being cold called at the front door by a man offering mattresses for sale which he had in the back of his van.

Both the man and the van were branded ‘Dreamers’.

Although Dreamers is a name associated with bed and mattresses, anyone selling such items at your doorstep should be viewed with extreme caution. Mattresses have to be labelled correctly conforming to Fire and Safety Regulations and it is uncertain if mattresses sold in such a way actually conform with these.

The Sleep Council has an extremely good video showing the pitfalls of buying mattresses from people selling from the back of a van.

It shows that mattresses sold in this fashion are often old and discarded ones that have simply been recovered or could pose a safety hazard and even though they may display a Fire Safety Label there is no way of checking if this was genuine or not.

Our advice: Do not purchase goods or services from people who approach you in the street or from callers who cold call on your doorstep.

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Watch out for calls from people claiming that they can stop unwanted sales and marketing calls who also say they offer more than the Free Telephone Preference Service.

This warning comes after a report of this happening to a resident in the Binley area. Bank card information including the 3 digit security number from the back was requested in order to ‘activate’ the blocking service.

Even if you do subscribe, there is no guarantee that the nuisance calls will stop.

Our advice is to register for FREE with the Telephone Preference Service [TPS] or phone 0845 070 0707.

Whilst this will not prevent all nuisance calls it should reduce them.

Remember, if you are registered with the TPS you should not receive calls from anyone in the UK trying to sell you a call blocking service!

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Coventry Trading Standards are warning that rogue traders will take advantage of milder weather by calling unannounced on vulnerable people and asking if any repairs or work are needed in their homes or gardens.

Commonly, such cold callers are often unqualified who charge extortionate amounts of money for little or no work. They may exert pressure on residents to accept work claiming repairs are needed urgently and that structural damage may result if work is not done there and then. They usually demand immediate payment.

Our advice is never to accept work from cold callers as this is a favoured approach used by rogue traders whose sole intention is to extract as much money from their victims as possible.

If you do need work on your property or garden, use a reputable local trader who has been recommended by friends or family or someone who has been vetted and is part of the Age UK (Coventry) Trusted Traders Scheme, a partnership with Coventry Trading Standards. This service is available to people of all ages living in the Coventry area and can be contacted by phoning 024 7643 3982.

If you or a neighbour or relative is approached by a cold caller and you are concerned please call the national Trading Standards hotline for advice on 08454 040506.

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Poundstretcher has recalled Disney Chocolate Chip Cookies produced by Jacobsens Bakery Ltd with a ‘best before’ date of 8 August 2017 as the product contains milk which is not mentioned on the product label.

This means that the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy or intolerance to either milk or milk constituents.

• Pack size: 150g tins
• Best before date: 8 August 2017
• LOT code: L1061590

Advice: If you have bought the above product and have an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents, do not eat it. Instead return it to the store you bought from it for a full refund.

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