Two illegal street traders who fell foul of the law have had their wares confiscated thanks to a joint operation by council enforcement officers and the police. 

In two separate incidents in Barking, enforcement officers seized goods from a man selling perfume and Apple Air Pods and then from a woman who was trying to flog tobacco, cigarettes and DVDs.

At 12.20pm, police officers stopped a male outside Paddy Power in Barking and Trading Standards Officers seized 14 bottles of perfume and four sets of Apple Air Pods. Less than an hour later the same officers stopped a woman in Mcdonalds, who is known as a persistent tobacco and DVD seller, and confiscated 60 x 50g pouches of Amber Leaf hand rolling tobacco (50g pouches), 46 x 50g pouches of Golden Virginia hand rolling tobacco, [a total of 5.3kg of hand rolling tobacco], 80 Mayfair cigarettes (4 boxes), 20 Richman cigarettes (1 box), 300 Lambert and Butler cigarettes (15 boxes), 960 Benson and Hedges cigarettes (48 boxes), 1320 Marlboro Gold cigarettes (66 boxes) and 74 mixed DVDs.

Councillor Margaret Mullane, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “This is great proactive work from our enforcement officers. We are determined in our efforts to protect our residents from people who feel it is okay to peddle illegal and sub-standard products on our borough’s streets.  

“We are a business friendly borough and we actively encourage businesses to set up trade in Barking and Dagenham, but it has to be done the correct way. We will find and where possible prosecute people who do not play by the rules.”