County council chiefs say more than £17million of consumer harm in Staffordshire has been prevented by Trading Standards teams in the past year.
Work has included the seizure of counterfeit goods and efforts to crack down on rogue traders and scam callers.
Around £1million worth of illegal cigarettes have been taken off the streets, while more than 9,400 potentially unsafe vapes have been removed from sale.
Cllr Victoria Wilson, cabinet member responsible for Trading Standards at Staffordshire County Council, said:
“The work of our Trading Standards service often goes unseen, but the work they do in protecting our communities is invaluable.
“With the current cost of living pressures, when people cannot afford to lose money through fraud or scams, it’s more important than ever that households are protected. These crimes can not only affect people financially but can have a really negative impact on their physical and mental health too.
“Just as important to the service is making sure there is a level playing field for legitimate businesses to trade as many continue to face difficult trading conditions.
“Our Trading Standards service is also a key weapon in the fight against law breaking businesses. Working closely with partner agencies, their valuable work saving consumers millions of pounds of harm and supporting some extremely vulnerable victims continues.”
Cllr Victoria Wilson, Staffordshire County Council
