Each day thousands of products change hands between retailers and consumers. It is our job to ensure that the products you buy are safe. General Product Safety Regulations and regulations made under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 place a responsibility on businesses to trade safely and not sell unsafe goods.

There are hundreds of different regulations made on specific goods to ensure they are safe. These range from toys that may have hidden spikes to nightdresses that may burn too easily.

Each year we carry out surveys and inspections to ensure that products on sale are safe. We also provide advice and have a 'rogues gallery' of unsafe items to highlight to consumers the dangers of unsafe products.

We also enforce the Road Traffic Act 1988, this makes it illegal to supply a vehicle in an unroadworthy condition.If you have been sold something you consider unsafe or believe that unsafe products are on sale please contact us.

For information on the European alert system visit Rapid Alert System for Non-Food. For advice on electrical safety visit the Electrical Safety Council website. 

To search for product recalls and sign up for news feeds and e-mail alerts try the Consumer Focus Labs website.

Overloaded vehicles

We carry out road traffic checks to ensure that the lorries passing through Merthyr Tydfil are not overloaded and dangerous. Not only are overloaded vehicles dangerous to other road users but they also play havoc with our road surfaces which eventually you, the residents of Merthyr Tydfil, end up paying for.

In conjunction with the Police we stop and weigh vehicles if we suspect they are carrying a heavy load. Those who ignore their safety limits could find themselves in court.

If you are a business within Merthyr Tydfil that wishes to receive advice concerning overloading then please contact us using the contact details at the bottom of this page.