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North Wales Chronicle
7 days ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Counterfeit ‘Labubu' dolls and keyrings seized in Holyhead
A total of 100 Labubu-style dolls and keyrings, which fail safety requirements and pose a risk to children, were seized yesterday (July 16) during visits to several shops. Labubu dolls, also known as The Monsters, are manufactured in China by Pop Mart, and are the latest TikTok craze endorsed by celebrities. Genuine products are limited-edition and retail for between £30 to £250 each. But high demand and limited availability has seen a rise in counterfeit items being sold globally in shops and online. A number of fake versions have been found to be poorly constructed, with limbs coming off easily, seams ripping apart, misshapen features, and removeable small parts, such as eyes, hands and feet, that could present a choking hazard. In addition, some which were tested were also found to contain harmful dyes and toxic plastics. Public protection portfolio holder at Isle of Anglesey County Council, Cllr Nicola Roberts, said: 'Unscrupulous traders are supplying counterfeit versions of the latest craze at lower prices. 'Selling cheap knock-off that doesn't meet UK safety requirements is putting local children at risk and we will not tolerate that. 'I'm pleased that these items have been seized by our trading standards officers.' Anyone seeing these items for sale on Anglesey are urged to report them to Anglesey Trading Standards by emailing tradingstandards@ or calling Citizens Advice Consumer Services helpline on 0808 223 1133, with details of where they are being sold.
Wales Online
02-07-2025
- Wales Online
More than 1,100 illegal vapes seized on Anglesey
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info More than 1,100 illegal vapes have been seized from two retail premises in Holyhead. It follows a joint operation by Anglesey County Council and North Wales Police. The vapes seized during "Operation Jackal" had an estimated retail value of £6,500. Of those seized, 404 vapes were voluntarily surrendered by the businesses, an Anglesey County Council statement said. It added: "Following further investigation 42 vapes were returned as they complied with current regulations. The non-compliant vapes were subsequently destroyed. "The operation coincided with Welsh Government ban of single use vapes on 1 June 2025. Under the new law, it is now illegal for businesses in Wales to sell or supply any single-use or disposable vapes. All vaping devices must now be both rechargeable and refillable to be legally sold or distributed. "Beyond environmental harm, single use vapes pose significant health risks, particularly to children and young people. These devices often contain high levels of nicotine and appealing flavours, making them attractive to underage users." Anglesey Council's Planning, Public Protection and Climate Change Portfolio Holder, Councillor Nicola Roberts, said: 'Our Trading Standards Team continue to work tirelessly with North Wales Police, and other partner agencies, to help take illegal and harmful products off our streets.' She added: 'Protecting people from potentially harmful products is of utmost importance as we seek to safeguard the well-being of the public.' North Wales Police Anglesey District Support Sergeant, Chris Burrow, said: 'We will continue to work closely with Trading Standards and other partners to protect the health and wellbeing of the community, and especially young people. 'Multi-agency operations such as this show the value of partnership working and sharing resources to investigate and combat serious and organised crime. 'The supply of illegal tobacco products through organised criminal networks is often linked to other criminal activity, which is why it's important we continue to disrupt against the illegal tobacco product business. 'I would encourage community members who have concerns about suspected illegal activity in their local town centres to contact police or trading standards, or report anonymously via Crimestoppers.' Anglesey council and North Wales Police said they will continue to carry out enforcement activity to support businesses in understanding their responsibilities and to prevent the sale of illegal or harmful products in our communities. Residents and businesses alike are urged to report any concerns of non-compliant vape products on Anglesey to: tradingstandards@ Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter - sent every Friday Find out what's happening near you
North Wales Live
02-07-2025
- Business
- North Wales Live
More than 1,100 illegal vapes seized on Anglesey
More than 1,100 illegal vapes have been seized from two retail premises in Holyhead. It follows a joint operation by Anglesey County Council and North Wales Police. The vapes seized during "Operation Jackal" had an estimated retail value of £6,500. Of those seized, 404 vapes were voluntarily surrendered by the businesses, an Anglesey County Council statement said. It added: "Following further investigation 42 vapes were returned as they complied with current regulations. The non-compliant vapes were subsequently destroyed. "The operation coincided with Welsh Government ban of single use vapes on 1 June 2025. Under the new law, it is now illegal for businesses in Wales to sell or supply any single-use or disposable vapes. All vaping devices must now be both rechargeable and refillable to be legally sold or distributed. "Beyond environmental harm, single use vapes pose significant health risks, particularly to children and young people. These devices often contain high levels of nicotine and appealing flavours, making them attractive to underage users." Anglesey Council 's Planning, Public Protection and Climate Change Portfolio Holder, Councillor Nicola Roberts, said: 'Our Trading Standards Team continue to work tirelessly with North Wales Police, and other partner agencies, to help take illegal and harmful products off our streets.' She added: 'Protecting people from potentially harmful products is of utmost importance as we seek to safeguard the well-being of the public.' North Wales Police Anglesey District Support Sergeant, Chris Burrow, said: 'We will continue to work closely with Trading Standards and other partners to protect the health and wellbeing of the community, and especially young people. 'Multi-agency operations such as this show the value of partnership working and sharing resources to investigate and combat serious and organised crime. 'The supply of illegal tobacco products through organised criminal networks is often linked to other criminal activity, which is why it's important we continue to disrupt against the illegal tobacco product business. 'I would encourage community members who have concerns about suspected illegal activity in their local town centres to contact police or trading standards, or report anonymously via Crimestoppers.' Anglesey council and North Wales Police said they will continue to carry out enforcement activity to support businesses in understanding their responsibilities and to prevent the sale of illegal or harmful products in our communities. tradingstandards@
North Wales Chronicle
01-07-2025
- North Wales Chronicle
More than 1,000 illegal vapes seized from shops in Holyhead
The vapes seized during 'Operation Jackal' had an estimated retail value of £6,500. Of those seized, 404 vapes were voluntarily surrendered by the businesses. Following further investigation, 42 vapes were returned as they complied with current regulations. All non-compliant vapes were subsequently destroyed. The operation coincided with the Welsh Government ban of single use vapes on June 1. Under the new law, it is now illegal for businesses in Wales to sell or supply any single-use or disposable vapes. All vaping devices must now be both rechargeable and refillable to be legally sold or distributed. Beyond environmental harm, single use vapes pose significant health risks, particularly to children and young people. These devices often contain high levels of nicotine and appealing flavours, making them attractive to underage users. MORE: Work gets underway to revitalise Holyhead's main street Anglesey Council's planning, public protection and climate change portfolio holder, Councillor Nicola Roberts, said, 'Our Trading Standards Team continue to work tirelessly with North Wales Police, and other partner agencies, to help take illegal and harmful products off our streets. 'Protecting people from potentially harmful products is of utmost importance as we seek to safeguard the well-being of the public.' North Wales Police Anglesey district support sergeant, Chris Burrow, added: 'We will continue to work closely with Trading Standards and other partners to protect the health and wellbeing of the community, and especially young people. 'Multi-agency operations such as this show the value of partnership working and sharing resources to investigate and combat serious and organised crime. 'The supply of illegal tobacco products through organised criminal networks is often linked to other criminal activity, which is why it's important we continue to disrupt against the illegal tobacco product business. 'I would encourage community members who have concerns about suspected illegal activity in their local town centres to contact police or trading standards, or report anonymously via Crimestoppers.' Anglesey Council and North Wales Police said they will continue to carry out enforcement activity to support businesses in understanding their responsibilities and to prevent the sale of illegal or harmful products.
BBC News
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Norfolk Show day two: Nicola Roberts to judge Battle of the Bands
Young musicians were set to compete in a music contest judged by Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts on day two of the Royal Norfolk Show. Acts in the Battle of the Bands competition will be judged by a panel of industry experts, including Roberts and vocal coach Mark the two-day event, the Norfolk and Suffolk Music Hub were running four stages, which were set to feature more than 5,000 performers in total. The hub's strategic development manager, Tim Brain, said: "I think it's such an uplifting experience for young people." The Royal Norfolk Show is the county's biggest two-day agricultural event, and it was expected to attract around 85,000 people. A variety of acts were on the lineup for the second day, including school choirs, students from Access to Music College, and local, independent bands. The Battle of the Bands competition, which started at last year's show, was part of the New Noise initiative to give young people the opportunity to play on a stage. Despite the name, the showcase is not just for bands, but for any local rock or music act with members aged between 12 and 25."We try and give young people a real-life performance opportunity with sound and lighting engineers," Mr Brain said."I think it's such an uplifting experience for young people... That's what the music hub is all about." De-Lisser and Roberts will provide feedback to all of this year's performers. When picking the panel, Mr Brain said it was important to them to get someone with experience of being a touring performer. "We're looking for someone that the young people will aspire to, someone that they'll know," he said. "It's so they get the criticism from someone who's got real-life experience of what it's like being on the road."He added: "The critique that we get is always really inspirational." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
