Don’t Be Conned By A Fishy Tale At The Door

Nottinghamshire residents are being warned about doorstep fish salespeople who have been visiting households in Newark and Mansfield to persuade them to buy hundreds of pounds of fish.

Householders are given the impression that they are only buying a few pieces but are then presented with a freezer-filling amount of largely unlabelled fish, some of which is unfit to eat, plus a bill for two or three hundred pounds.

There have been five complaints about the fish scam in the last month in the two districts, compared to the average one complaint a month across the county prior to this.

One resident was misled into buying fish worth £198 and there are concerns that such traders are not registered food sellers as required by law and are not complying with food and hygiene regulations.

It is often not clear what species of fish that they are selling or where the fish was caught, its origins and whether it contains any additives. 

Doorstep sellers also tend not to offer customers cancellation rights or a receipt to allow them to seek a refund if they are not satisfied with the goods.

Councillor Glynn Gilfoyle, Chair of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Community Safety Committee, said: “Many of the complaints we receive about doorstep fish salespeople involve aggressive sale techniques to coerce residents to buy their fish.

“The fish is often unlabelled so comes from an unknown source and without a receipt so the seller can’t be tracked down if there is a problem.

“It is always best to buy fish from a reputable fishmonger at an established shop or stall.” 

Anyone who has been approached by fish sellers in this manner should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 04 05 06.

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