Archived News

Street Trader FAQ’s – COVID 19 - Dated 27th April 2020. 1. Can I still trade?<br />2. Can my existing food business serve takeaway food? 3. I am an Ice Cream trader, can I still trade?

Taxi FAQ’s – COVID 19 - Dated 27th April 2020. 1. Can I still work as a hackney carriage or private hire business? 2. I have no work – what should I do with my licence? 3. My Operator/Driver/Vehicle licence is up for renewal – what should I do?4. How can I renew my licence if I do not have enough funds? 5. My supporting documents are expiring what should I do? 6. I am booked on or need to book onto my Safeguarding Training Course, what should I do? 7. How can I keep myself and my passengers safe?

PPP warns of bogus waste collector scams. As part of the Government measures taken to limit the spread of COVID-19 the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) or tips have been closed until further notice. Residents are being asked to store any waste they would normally take to a recycling centre until the HWRCs reopen. As always, the advice from Trading Standards is not to buy goods or services from a doorstep caller or people advertising waste clearance on-line, unless they are sure that the waste will be disposed of properly.

Whirlpool has announced the recall of a further 21 washing machine models among its Hotpoint brand range. Last December, the manufacturer announced Hotpoint and Indesit washing machines that were made between 2014 and 2018 were affected by a door lock defect which may cause the machine to catch fire. According to the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), Whirlpool has identified a further 55,000 machines - Hotpoint and Indesit brands - impacted by this fault.

COVID-19 Scam Aimed at Businesses. We have heard reports of scam emails been sent out to business’ looking like they are from Local Authority Finance teams and advising business’ that they have been awarded the £25,000 ‘Retail, Hospitability & Leisure Grant’ currently being awarding to qualifying businesses due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Bonfire Advice Note. Since‎ the start of the Covid 19 pandemic the Public Protection Partnership has seen a 622% increase in bonfire complaints over the same period last year (from 32 complaints to 231). We have produced this short guidance on Bonfire Advice.

Wokingham Council approves strategy to tackle fly-tipping. At the first virtual meeting of its executive committee on Wednesday 22 April, Wokingham Borough Council approved a strategy aimed at tackling the growing problem with fly-tipping. Fly-tipping has been on the increase in recent years, but has seen an additional increase in the last couple of weeks due to the closure of the rubbish and recycling centres. All waste and recycling kerbside services are running normally and the decision to close the tips is being assessed on a daily basis. Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste or rubbish on public or private land, and is a significant blight on our local environment; a hazard to wildlife; and a nuisance.

Quit for COVID. PPP are supporting the ‘Quit for Covid’ campaign because Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory infection that affects the lungs and airways.

COVID-19 Scam Awreness Video. Malcolm Phillips, our Fraud Victim Support Officer talks to us about how to identify and protect yourself from Coronavirus Scams.

SCAM ALERT. We have received numerous reports of this scam in our area. Caller reports to be from Citizens Advice. Reports that there is a Government grant to pay off all debt due to COVID-19. Numerous reports that the caller ID is this number - 07966 321370. Do not give any details. Hang up. Block number. Report scam call to your local Citizens Advice. Be wary of calls from the above number or any number claiming to be from CAB. CAB will not call you unless they are already helping you with something that you have asked them to help you with. If in doubt hang up and call them back from a number you have sourced.

Fly-tippers beware. We're on to you. PPP are actively checking on those who offer fly tipping services to see if they are registered waste carriers. Licensed carriers make sure you it's easy for your customers to find your waste carrier registration details.- Display you carrier registration number / or give it to your customers upon request.<br />- Advertise under the same name that you are registered in. Consumers it is YOUR responsibility to make sure you waste is disposed off by a registered waste carrier. If not you could be receive a £250 fixed penalty notice if your waste is fly-tipped.

Animal Activity Licensing FAQs – COVID 19. Dated 18th May 2020. Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020.This guidance has been updated to reflect the latest amendments to Government advice on Covid 19 to balance public health protection requirements and the need for businesses to keep working. The position may change regularly as decisions are taken about Covid 19 related restrictions. At all times, consideration MUST be given to the most up to date Government advice on keeping animals, public health, social distancing and business closures. Always check relevant websites for updates.

Menthol Cigarettes Ban from UK shops from 20 May. New smoking laws will see certain types of cigarettes banned in the UK from this month. From 20 May menthol cigarettes, menthol rolling tobacco and menthol skinny cigarettes will be banned from UK shops. The ban stems from the EU Tobacco Product Directive, which includes measures to reduce smoking rates among young people. The Directive introduced in 2016 included a four-year plan to phase out flavoured cigarettes, as of 20 May 2020. These new laws essentially mean it will be illegal to manufacture or supply any cigarette or tobacco in the UK which has a flavouring added - such as menthol or vanilla. The ban includes 'click' cigarettes which can change the flavour from normal to menthol with a button inside the filter.

Taxi FAQ’s – COVID 19 - Updated 14th May 2020

Help your Fire and Rescue Service during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging residents and business owners to take care in their homes and with their businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. These are challenging times for many, but our teams continue to be on hand to support our communities in their time of need. However, we’re asking our residents to help us help them too, by taking some precautions that will reduce the risk of an incident.

NOTICE OF DECISION. The Licensing Sub-Committee of West Berkshire Council met remotely on 18 May 2020 and resolved to approve Application 20/00133/LQN in respect of Pinchington Hall, Crookham Hill, Crookham Common, RG19 8DQ subject to a number of conditions which are set out below.

COVID-19 Business Grant Scam Emails. We are away of a number of organisations who have been subject to attempts by fraudsters to acquire information, which would support  fraudulent applications for COVID-19 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure grants.

Legionnaires’disease: Lockdown Risks and Reopening Safely. When buildings reopen after lockdown, it is essential that water systems are not put back into use without considering the risks of Legionnaires’ disease. There is an increased risk of waterborne pathogens such as Legionella bacteria being present as a consequence of the conditions that lockdown may have created. As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there is the potential for an increased number of people to be susceptible to Legionnaires’ disease due to a compromised respiratory system during or after infection with COVID-19.

COVID-19 NHS Test & Trace Scam. Although we are currently not aware of this scam happening in our areas, at the current time, we have heard reports of it in other areas. Please help spread the word to prevent more victims. The scammers are calling people and saying they are from NHS COVID tracing teams

MHCLG (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ) has today (01 June) updated the non-statutory guidance for landlords, tenants and councils in the private and social rented sectors on renting during the coronavirus pandemic. This reflects the latest position on social distancing and working safely.

MHCLG has published guidance on the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations, which came into force today.

Video on How to Spot a Scam Emails. The latest video from Malcolm Phillips - our Victim Support Officer. In this video Malcolm explains how to spot a potential scam email. This video is part 1 in a 2 part series.

Keep Your Workplace Safe Poster. Free poster to use in your workplace with regards to keeping safe during Coronavirus pandemic.

WOKINGHAM, WOODLEY AND TWYFORD OPEN FOR BUSINESS - PRESS RELEASE. Press Release from Wokingham Borough Council 11th June 2020. With many local retailers set to reopen from Monday (June 15) there’s lots of activity going on in our main shopping areas of Wokingham town centre, Woodley and Twyford to make sure they can open safely.

Unlicensed Ice Cream Traders Operating. The PPP Licensing Teams are receiving a number of complaints with regards to ice cream vans operating in West Berkshire, Wokingham and Bracknell without a street trading consent. This is particularly worrying as we cannot be sure they are operating with the relevant food hygiene standards in place.

Community Alcohol Partnership Retailer Newsletter June 2020.

HSE Warns of Sub-Standard PPE Face Masks. HSE are reporting of a substantial number of face masks, claiming to be of KN95 standards, provide an inadequate level of protection and are likely to be poor quality products accompanied by fake or fraudulent paperwork. These face masks may also be known as filtering facepiece respirators.

Do I need to wear a face mask in a taxi? The requirement to wear masks in hackney carriages and private hire vehicles (PHV). The Government announced that face coverings will be mandatory on all forms of public transport from 15 June. Hackney carriage and PHV’s are not included in Department for Transport regulations that make it mandatory for public transport staff and passengers to wear face coverings, mainly because hackney carriages and PHV's are not classed as public transport, suggesting the requirement to wear face coverings in hackney carriages and PHV’s is therefore not mandatory. It is ultimately up to taxi drivers and operators to assess the risk to their environment and to put protective measures in place to safeguard themselves and their passengers.

What is Cuckooing? Cuckooing is a practice where people take over a person’s home and use the property to facilitate exploitation. It takes the name from cuckoo birds who take over the nest of other birds.

Licensing Pre-opening Checklist. Updated 1st April 2021. Our Licensing team have developed a checklist for licensed premises of actions/considerations you should make prior to reopening.