Next Episode of Defenders UK is
Season 5 / Episode 9 and airs on 02 February 2023 10:00
Following the work of enforcement officers as they battle to protect the public from the crooks and con men endangering our health, families and homes.
Hundreds of pensioners are left stranded after booking a five-day holiday in Torquay. They only discover they've been conned when the coaches that are supposed to pick them up don't arrive. Trading standards officers are determined to bring the boss of the bogus coach holiday company to justice.
Elsewhere, officers track down a loan shark targeting hard-up families, and they investigate the tragic death of a railway worker.
A seven-year-old boy suffers a fatal electric shock during a family visit to their local pub. Investigators discover a catalogue of electrical faults, including 12 defects that were an immediate danger. In another case, they close in on a fraudster bombarding us with scam text messages claiming to be from well-known organisations including the Royal Mail and HMRC.
And they crackdown on criminals who are dumping mountains of rubbish illegally at 300 sites across south east England.
An investigation into an £800,000 home improvement scam reveals that fraudsters are using a kitchen extension built by someone else as a fake show home and posting fake reviews on their website to help persuade customers to hand over large deposits. The fraudsters pocket the money, but no work is ever carried out.
In another case, officers rescue puppies from an unlicensed backyard breeder and seize pet passports and other documents as evidence.
A secret surveillance operation uncovers a shocking case of human trafficking and modern slavery. Scores of young men and women are being kept as prisoners and forced into unpaid labour, working for nothing at a car wash in Bristol.
Officers also investigate an online trader using the dark web to illegally sell potentially deadly diet pills. Pills like these have already been responsible for several fatalities in the UK, and the National Food Crime Unit is determined to stop anyone from selling these pills for human consumption.
In another case, investigators catch-up with a cowboy builder with an incredible list of excuses and a track record for conning people out of thousands of pounds.
Enforcement officers investigate the death of a worker at one of the UK's largest recycling plants. They seize more than 300 hours' worth of CCTV footage that shows dangerous work practices and breaches of health and safety rules in the days running up to the tragedy.
They also catch a rogue trader selling chocolate bars with a fake list of ingredients, putting children's health at risk. And a specialist team of dedicated enforcement officers get their hands dirty in a crackdown on fly-tipping.
Investigators crack down on companies deliberately bombarding the elderly with marketing phone calls and pressuring them into taking out insurance policies and setting up direct debits. It's a lucrative business, but they are determined to put a stop to it.
Elsewhere, officers tackle the disturbing crime of drink spiking, and they confront a travel agent with a shop full of angry customers.
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