Previous alerts about the dangers of buying mattresses from people going door to door have been issued, but we continue to receive new reports. In only the last 4 days, there have been two new ones.

In the Tile Hill area, there have been reports of a white van with ‘Premier Beds and Mattresses’ in the area offering cheap mattresses for sale, and in Daimler Green, a male in a Silver van with ‘Midland Bed Supplies’ has been knocking doors, offering the same. Whilst there may be legitimate companies with similar names, they would not engage in door to door sales.

Mattresses sold this way are often offered at substantially reduced prices. However, buying such items on the doorstep is risky as you will not be able to contact the trader should something go wrong with the product. There are also concerns over the safety of the mattresses. It would be difficult to prove if any Fire Safety label was genuine, what chemicals the mattress may contain as well as the hygiene implications.

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 although 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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Following on from our last Scam Alert, Coventry Trading Standards continue to receive further reports of vulnerable residents being targeted by cold callers who claimed they needed roofing work carrying out. These latest ones occurred in the Styvechale and Stoke area of the City.

Interestingly, both Traders gave business addresses of outside Coventry, having travelled some distance to cold call in Coventry.

Trading Standards is urging residents to remain vigilant at all times and if they receive a visit out of the blue from someone offering to do house repairs or claiming they have spotted a problem with the roof not to do business with them.

Commonly, 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, insisting on being paid in cash.

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 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 03454 040506.

You can also report any suspicious vehicles you have spotted in your area if you think they are being used by workmen targeting houses or bungalows in areas predominately inhabited by older or vulnerable residents.

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Loan Shark Awareness Week is being launched on 17 October.

The aim of the campaign is for everyone to understand what a loan shark is and more importantly how to report one.

Loan Sharks are illegal money lenders who loan money without having the correct permissions from the Financial Conduct Authority. They often give cash loans out without any paper work and want double the amount back or charge extortionate interest rates. When you struggle to make repayments they may use violence, threats and intimidation, to ensure you keep paying them.

If you believe you have borrowed from a loan shark, contact the England Illegal Money Lending Team in confidence:

• Call the 24/7 confidential hotline on 0300 555 2222
• Text LOAN SHARK and the lender’s details to 60003
• Email reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk
• Visit https://www.gov.uk/report-loan-shark

View a short video outlining the dangers of loan sharks.

Read about the work of the Illegal Money Lending Teams.

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ASDA is recalling Tiger Sausage Rolls 6 pack because they contain milk which is not declared within the ingredients list. This means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents.

Product: ASDA Tiger Sausage Rolls

Pack size: 6pk/ 372g

Use By date: All date codes

Allergen: Milk

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 from where it was bought for a full refund.

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