A CAMPAIGN to drive cowboy traders out of West Devon has been launched by the county's trading standards department.
Peter Greene, divisional trading standards officer, said the joint initiative between the county and borough councils was an effort to stop residents being 'ripped off' and to keep local money within the community.
At a presentation to West Devon partnership committee in Okehampton last week, he said: 'Most one-day sales may be completely legal, but we do have a lot of cowboys coming into the area.
'They are tending to focus more now on small parish halls and local community places.
'For example, I witnessed one place in South Brent where they managed to get away with £5,000 in one day — that money was going out of the community.'
He said the one-day sales were not the kind of events trading standards staff wanted to encourage.
He told the committee the sales were organised by small 'gangs', using a warm-up man, followed by the hard sell and often accompanied by 'bouncers'.
He said hall owners who realise too late their premises are being used by these gangs are often intimidated into keeping the booking.
'People do part with their money quite regularly. We have prosecuted where we can, however, the law isn't strong enough to deal with most situations,' he said.
Nick Payne, head of environmental services at West Devon Borough Council, said his department would be sending out an introductory letter to venues like halls, pubs, clubs, hotels etc to draw their attention to the 'rather underhand' tactics employed by some sales gangs.
Trading standards will then be in touch and will provide a 'model contract' allowing hall owners to legally back out of an agreement if they find a 'cowboy' group has hired the hall.
'The whole emphasis is to try and nip things in the bud before it actually happens,' said Mr Payne.