Descriptions of goods and services

The Trade Descriptions Act makes it a criminal offence for a trader to make a false statement about goods or services. Examples of false trade descriptions include describing pies as being ‘home-made’ when in fact it is a pre-made product just cooked on the premises, or describing a hotel as being ‘a ten minute walk from the city centre’ when the truth it is nearly half an hour.

What is the penalty for non-compliance?

The penalty, if found guilty of an offence under the Trade Descriptions Act, is a fine of up to £5 000 for summary conviction and an unlimited fine, up to two years imprisonment or both for conviction on indictment.