A Southall jeweller will be paying more than £7,500 in fines and court costs after admitting to offering gold for sale without an official hallmark.

Mr Atif Waseem of Shamail Gold Limited trading as Waseem Jewellers, 130 The Broadway, Southall appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates Court in November 2021.

He pleaded guilty to all 19 charges under the Hallmarking Act 1973 and one charge under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

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Trading Standards officers seized sixteen gold rings, one gold pendant, and two three-piece gold pendant sets during their inspection because the legally required hallmark was not displayed.

The shop was chosen as part of a Trading Standards investigation into the levels of legal compliance within the jewellery industry in Ealing.

The seized gold was submitted to the London Assay Office for examination and testing. They confirmed that none of the items displayed the legally required hallmark, and one piece was in fact 18-carat, and not the 22-carat claimed.

It is unlawful for a trader to display for sale non-hallmarked gold or apply the description of gold, silver, platinum or palladium to an item if the description is not true.

Mr Waseem was fined £3,500 for all the charges and ordered to pay £3,882 in costs and a victim surcharge of £181 (total £7,563).

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, portfolio holder for decent living incomes said: “This is a case where products advertised for sale were not as described, which could have misled customers into buying these items."

“Hallmarking gives customers confidence when buying items of jewellery and precious metals that the items they are receiving are genuine."

“Enforcement action may be taken against those that fail to comply with their legal obligations.”