Shared Regulatory Services, the body responsible for the likes of trading standards, food safety and licensing across the Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff and Bridgend councils, recently received a prestigious award from the British Hallmarking Council for its work identifying and prosecuting sellers of illegal jewellery.

A total of 21 jewellers were investigated as part of ongoing hallmarking enforcement projects, with four premises found to be selling unhallmarked goods.

A fifth was also offering counterfeit goods in the form of fake Louis Vuitton and Chanel items with a potential retail value of £25,000.

In another instance, a complaint made about an eBay seller led to a major investigation which resulted in two men being prosecuted for selling misdescribed, unhallmarked jewellery, counterfeit jewellery and unsafe cosmetics.

The annual Touchstone Award recognises the trading standards team who deliver the most effective enforcement or educational initiative related to hallmarking.

Cllr Eddie Williams, Cabinet Member for Legal, Regulatory and Planning Services and Chair of the SRS Joint Committee, said: "We are absolutely delighted to have received this recognition for our commitment to hallmarking enforcement.

This was the culmination of months of hard work by our trading standards professionals, who are dedicated to protecting consumers and businesses across Bridgend, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

"A local economy can only thrive if dishonest traders are prevented from impacting on honest and legitimate businesses.

''This award reflects SRS's ethos of tackling criminal activity and going the extra mile to create an environment where fair trading is the norm."