BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Trading Standards deal with thousands of complaints a year ranging from whether a dog is a pedigree to the standard of a hotel. Reporter James Clements spent a morning finding out about a vital service that tries to protect people from being ripped off.

The first thing Buckinghamshire Trading Standards officer Kate Davies does is apologise.

She has been up since 5am.

She was inspecting bread in a bakery. Trading Standards are capable of getting almost anywhere at anytime. The only real qualification is that goods or services need to be sold.

Buckinghamshire Trading Standards run an advice call centre taking about 150 calls a week.

Ms Davies said: "They should be able to tell people what their civil rights are. They can also make detailed assessments about whether there is a criminal offence. "

Complaints are then given to the investigations department who decide whether an offence has been committed.

Ms Davies said: "Under the Trades Descriptions Act they decide whether your dog is a pedigree dog and whether your hotel is up to standard."

"Part of our job is trying to educate people about what their rights are and how to stop them being ripped off."

As well as the advice line trading standards advise traders.

Ms Davies said: "The council is very, very hot on underage sales. We have been given extra money to reduce the number of them in the county."

A proof of age card '100% proof' is just one of Buckinghamshire County Council's initiatives. Trading Standards also recruit children to go into shops and try to buy things like cigarettes and alcohol.

Ms Davies said: "Obviously that is controversial. The council is very proud of this scheme but it is very difficult to gauge the success of it."

To stop underage sales they go into schools to find out who is illegally supplying children. Trading Standards policy of education also extends to the elderly.

"We try to encourage people to keep a few telephone numbers by the phone in case something does go wrong and they do need to call someone out."

Trading standards are involved almost everywhere. With the foot-and-mouth crisis they have been especially busy as they are responsible for granting licences for moving animals.

I walked into one office and the walls are adorned with a spotters guide to cows.

"What costs more: a passport for a man or a passport for a cow?", asks one of her colleagues sitting in the room. The answer, by the way, is a cow.

"We are the licensing authority for animal movement", he explains.

It is not all light-hearted. As the Free Press reported on May 4, Brenda Matthews, from Adelaide Road, High Wycombe, was forced to call trading standards after receiving a £5,585 bill to fix her boiler. The department was only able to advise and the company was not breaking the law.

Ms Davies said: "For shops where the trader cannot get their heads round what they are doing so wrong, they are advised.

"If, after that, nothing changes then they are prosecuted. Ninety nine per cent of people are trading honestly. We have to protect people from the one per cent out there."

Even with honest traders mistakes can happen and Trading Standards get involved.

"We get complaints about all sorts of things, like 'I bought pornographic videos and they were not pornographic enough'.

"We should have a Tacky Goods Act but unfortunately there is not one."

Sometimes the complaints are more serious than that. When micro-scooters came on to the market there were concerns over whether it was a toy or a type of transport, leading to confusion over relevant laws.

Ms Davies said with one or two models the tops of childrens' fingers were sliced off in the folding mechanism. They were withdrawn from sale.

Food, micro-scooters, dodgy traders and cows all fall under the remit of Trading Standards officers.

Facts and figures on Trading Standards

Trading Standards advice centre handles 150 calls a week from members of the public.

They employ 35 people to enforce trading standards law.

A 16+ proof of age card- 100% Proof- is available from Trading Standards.

Traders in this country must comply with at least six different laws relating to the supply of goods.

Trading Standards inspect goods on sale to make sure people are not being misled.

Trading Standards are responsible for issuing licences to farmers in the county wishing to move their animals.

You can contact the Trading Standards advice line on 01296 382212.