With the Christmas shopping season now well underway, Hertfordshire Trading Standards is urging shoppers to be on their guard against scams and unsafe items.

Among the many examples the team are alerted to each year are faulty electricals, unsafe toys, rogue traders, scams, sub-standard food, holiday cons and dangerous Christmas decorations.

Taking a few minutes to check out the credentials of an internet trader or ensuring electrical items and toys come with all the correct safety indicators such as the CE mark (indicating they conform with relevant health and safety EU directives) can help prevent nasty shocks on Christmas Day and beyond.

Terry Hone, Cabinet Member for Community Safety at Hertfordshire County Council said: "It's great to see the high streets back open in time for Christmas shopping and while we'll all be shopping safely by social distancing, there are steps that we can take to ensure that any items we purchase online are safe and legitimate.

"Christmas is an opportunity for unscrupulous traders to cash in by selling counterfeit or substandard items at reduced prices, especially via online marketplaces.

"That's why it's important to check out the credentials of online traders, read customer reviews and to compare the price with other retailers – if it seems too good to be true then it probably is."

For further advice or to report any safety concerns, contact Trading Standards on 0808 223 1133 or Citizens Advice