FOI003541 FOI Trading Standards

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The purpose of this request is to gather data on Trading Standards activity relating to the sale and supply of unsafe or non-compliant mattresses and beds.

*Required information*

Specifically, I am seeking anonymised data on the following from January 2020 to September 2026:

1. The number of complaints received by your Trading Standards service relating to the sale or supply of mattresses or beds suspected of being unsafe or non-compliant.

2. The number of investigations undertaken by your Trading Standards service relating to mattresses or beds suspected of being unsafe or non-compliant.

3. The number of mattresses or beds seized, removed from sale, or otherwise prevented from being supplied as a result of Trading Standards action.

4. Where already recorded and readily available, the reason for any seizure, removal from sale or other enforcement action, for example concerns relating to fire safety, product safety, labelling or counterfeit products.

*Note: For the purposes of this request, "unsafe or non-compliant" is intended to include mattresses or beds where Trading Standards has identified, suspected or investigated concerns relating to product safety, fire safety, construction or materials, labelling or safety information, applicable product regulations or standards, counterfeit products, or other regulatory non-compliance.

Historic examples of relevant Trading Standards concerns have included "mattress scams", mattresses that failed fire safety tests, and sellers using false brand trademarks. This is intended as a broad description rather than an exhaustive definition, and I would be grateful for information based on the categories or classifications already used by your service.*

I confirm that I am not seeking any personal or identifying information.

*Cost limits and partial disclosure*

— If providing any part of this request would exceed the cost limit under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act, I kindly ask that you do not refuse the request in its entirety.

— Where this occurs, I would be grateful if you could instead provide any information that can be disclosed within the applicable cost limit, for example, Q1 only or a reduced time frame such as January 2025 to September 2026.

— Where any part of the request cannot be answered, please specify which elements fall outside the cost limit or are otherwise exempt, and explain the reasons clearly.

— To clarify, I am not asking the authority to work up to the time or cost threshold, but simply confirming that partial disclosure would be acceptable if it enables some information to be released.

In accordance with Section 16 of the Act, please also provide advice and assistance on how the request could be refined to enable further disclosure where appropriate.

*Preferred format*

— Please provide the information in electronic format, preferably as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV file.