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About the British Hallmarking Council, eg structure role, meetings, reports, offices, funding
Members and appointments of the British Hallmarking Council
Hallmarking Law, EU Draft Directive etc
Hallmarking Publications; annual report; EU directive; hallmarking guides; statutory notice; activity reports etc
What's new at the British Hallmarking Council
Contact details for the British Hallmarking Council
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Visit the Sheffield Assay Office

Funding Sub-Offices Enforcement and Offences Annual Reports and Accounts Council Meetings Role of the Council Structure and Members of the Council

The main responsibility for enforcing the Hallmarking Act lies with Local Authorities through their trading standards departments. In addition, both the Council and the Assay Offices have power to enforce the provisions of the Act but, in practice, it is left to trading standards officials, although often assisted by the Assay Masters.

The Council receives details from the Assay Offices of instances where it is alleged offences may have been committed in addition to the results of prosecutions. The offences detected by trading standards officials are mainly under Section 1 of the Act whereby it is an offence for any person in the course of trade or business:

to describe an unhallmarked article as being made wholly or partly made of gold, silver or platinum; or
to supply or offer to supply unhallmarked articles to which such a description is applied,

or Section 11 whereby a dealer in precious metal items is required to exhibit a prescribed notice. Please go to the Publications section to view this. Due to a reduction in local Government resources the level of surveillance has decreased over the last year or so and this is of concern to the Council. The Assay Offices have a high level of co-operation with enforcement officials and this has led to a number of successful prosecutions.

 
 
     © 2002 British Hallmarking Council, Contact Details