THIEVES and counterfeiters who use car boot sales to sell stolen property and pirate goods have been targeted in a county council investigation.
The probe took place in 2006 and found that, in the vast majority of cases, car boot sales attracted legitimate sellers, who provide a place to shop that is highly valued by thousands of local consumers.
However, councillors also found evidence that a rogue minority were trying to take advantage of the traditionally less regulated environment afforded by car boot sales.
Councillors heard from people who were concerned that the Kassam Stadium car boot sale in Oxford and a giant event near Tetsworth, sometimes included pirate DVDs, and had some age-restricted products such as pornography and knives being sold without the proper safeguards.
While it was harder to observe with absolute certainty any stolen property, councillors did see some smuggled or counterfeit cigarettes being sold at the car boot sale in Drayton (near Abingdon).
They also learnt that some sellers who buy and sell regularly are legally classified as ?traders?. However, by not declaring this fact they are duping the public into lower levels of consumer protection.
Councillors heard that the Police and Trading Standards are increasingly concerned about the role that car boot sales play in supporting criminal activity.
A number of joint overt and undercover operations have taken place in the past year to gather intelligence about who is trading at local events.
CODES OF PRACTICE
Some areas of the country, such as Kent and Nottingham, have recently enacted their own local laws to tighten their control over the second hand trade in general. Oxfordshire councillors felt this was ultimately not cost-effective and instead gave their support for the voluntary Code of Practice recently introduced by Trading Standards. This aims to ensure that the organisers of events take greater responsibility and report anything suspicious or untoward to the authorities.
Nigel Strick, the Head of Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards said: “This report is good news at a time when the Chancellor is announcing plans to reduce the abuse of copyright and intellectual property, aimed at catching criminals and explicitly targeting people who sell counterfeit CDs and DVDs at car-boot sales.
“We should not forget that in the main car boot sales are good events that people enjoy. We want to help them stay enjoyable by removing the persistent criminal minority that make considerable profits from breaking the law and poses a risk to genuine consumers and traders.?
The published report can be read on the county council?s website at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk.
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