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Alison Lambert is regularly instructed to prosecute all types of Regulatory Crime by Trading Standards Departments, Local Authorities and Police Authorities. She also has extensive experience in confiscation proceedings pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and is therefore able to provide a complete service to clients from pre-charging advice, through trial, to confiscation proceedings. This is particularly important for Trading Standards and Local Authorities.

Alison’s Trading Standards practice includes, but is not limited to, offences under the Fraud Act 2006, The Companies Act 2006, The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (and associated Regulations), The Consumer Protection Act 1987, The Trade Marks Act 1994 and The Food Safety Act 1990. She also has experience of undertakings and applications for Orders under the Enterprise Act 2002.

Her practice places particular emphasis on all aspects of Local Authority prosecutions and enforcement and covers all areas of Local Authority work including Right to Buy fraud, tenancy fraud, planning enforcement, fly tipping, noise abatement, animal regulations and anti-social behaviour. She also regularly accepts instructions concerning firearms appeals from Police Authorities.

Alison conducts hearings in all areas subject to Local Authority Licensing including the licensing of hackney carriages, private hire vehicles and liquor licensing. Her experience extends from conducting review hearings before licensing sub-committees to appeals and trials before the Magistrates’ and Crown Courts.

Alison also has extensive experience in the County Court in civil cases, conducting trials, possession hearings and applications for injunctions.

In 2014 Alison was appointed as Standing Counsel to the Essex Fire Authority.

  • Practice areas
    • Trading Standards
    • Local Authority enforcement
    • Fraud
    • Right to Buy fraud
    • Tenancy fraud
    • Taxi Licensing
    • Liquor Licensing
    • Police Firearms Appeals
    • Fire Safety
  • Events
  • News
  • Notable cases
    • R v DS and ors (2018 to date). Alison, leading Michael Coley, is instructed by Essex Trading Standards to prosecute ten defendants charged with conspiracy to defraud and money laundering. The first trial took place in January 2023 and lasted three months. There are currently reporting restrictions in place. The second trial commences in May 2023. The case concerns four companies selling add-ons to solar panel installations. The turnover of the four companies exceeded £6.5m.
    • R v CH (2022-). Alison is instructed by Essex County Council by their Internal Fraud Team to prosecute the owner of four care homes for false representations made to obtain grants under the Covid Relief Fund. The value of the fraud is over £270k. The trial is due to take place in March 2024.
    • Operation Clementine (2023-). Alison, leading Sabrina Goodchild, is instructed by Kent Trading Standards to prosecute four individuals for offences of Fraudulent Trading. The prosecution concerns the mis-selling of solar energy “add-ons”. The trial is due to be listed in 2024.
    • R v MM (2022). Alison was twice instructed by Tendring District Council to prosecute MM under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Prevention from Damage by Pests Act 1949. MM breached notices served which required her to take action to abate a mouse infestation nuisance in her home. She refused to comply with the notices due to her beliefs as an ethical vegan and treated the mice as her pets. The case was reported in the press worldwide.
    • R v WB (2023). Alison was instructed by Lincolnshire Trading Standards to prosecute a rogue trader who undertook gardening work. He was a prolific offender who preyed on the elderly and vulnerable and was sentenced to 6 years 9 months in February 2023.
    • R v VS (2022). Alison was instructed to represent Essex County Council by their Internal Fraud Team. The prosecution concerned fraudulent claims made to the Covid Grant scheme by a Director of a Care Home which totalled almost £60k. VS was sentenced to 12 months in prison and made the subject of a Director’s Disqualification Order.
    • Wilsdon v North Essex Justices [2021] 2 WLUK 433(2021): Alison was instructed by the respondent (Maldon District Council) in a case stated appeal concerning an enforcement notice served pursuant to s.172 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. In the appeal before Holgate J it was found that an enforcement notice requiring a landowner to cease an unauthorised change of use of land had been clear, unambiguous and was not a nullity. The court considered, but did not determine, the question of whether the landowner’s failure to challenge the enforcement notice based on the principles in Mansi v Elstree Rural DC 62 L.G.R. 172, [1964] 1 WLUK 874 in an appeal to the secretary of state precluded him from raising the issue later, as that matter was not in issue at the appeal by way of case stated, and if it had been it would have been bound to fail in any event;
    • R v RR and ors [Operation Blackboard] (2020): Alison, leading Sabrina Goodchild, is instructed by Kent County Council Trading Standards Department to prosecute eight defendants on an indictment alleging conspiracy to commit fraud contrary to s.1 and s.2 of the Fraud Act 2006 and money laundering. The prosecution concerns the “clocking” of vehicles. The case has been split into two trials and the first trial will take place in late 2023;
    • R v MW and ors (2020): Alison is instructed as a junior, led by Jonathan Goulding, for Lincolnshire County Council Trading Standards Department to prosecute six defendants on an indictment alleging conspiracy to defraud and associated offences. The prosecution concerns the mis-selling of solar energy “add-ons”.
    • R v JM (2019): Alison was Prosecution Counsel for Norfolk County Council Trading Standards Department. The case involved offences of Fraudulent Trading and Money Laundering. The defendant undertook contracts to build eight extensions where he failed to complete the work to a satisfactory standard or at all and within a reasonable time. The victims paid the defendant the entire contract price (over £220,000) and were left with remedial work which totalled £120,000. After a trial lasting nearly four weeks the defendant was convicted by unanimous verdict and sentenced to four years custody;
    • R v Ansell, Ansell, Davey and Plant (2017): Alison was Prosecution Counsel for Suffolk County Council Trading Standards Department. The case involved offences of conspiracy to defraud, offences under the Fraud Act 2006 and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The defendants were involved in a conspiracy to import and sell counterfeit DVDs from China on eBay. The value of the fraud was £700k. The third defendant was also involved in creating and selling fraudulent eBay accounts to enable sellers to run multiple accounts under assumed identities. The first defendant was sentenced to three years nine months custody, the second and third defendants were sentenced to three years five months custody each and the fourth defendant received a suspended sentence;
    • R v Oakpark Asset Management Limited, Oakpark Properties (UK) Limited, Overill (O) and Overill (O) (2017): Alison is Prosecution Counsel for Essex County Council Trading Standards Department. The case involves offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the Companies Act 2006. The defendants are letting agents who have pleaded guilty to offences whereby they took deposits from tenants and failed to deposit them in a Tenancy Deposit Scheme. They are awaiting sentence;
    • R v EM (2015 and 2011): In 2011 Alison was Prosecution Counsel for Suffolk County Council Trading Standards Department. The case involved offences under the Cattle Identification Regulations whereby EM had failed to properly register cattle. In 2015, Alison prosecuted EM for further offences under the Cattle Identification Regulations 2007, the Animal By-Products (Enforcement)(England) Regulations 2011, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations 2007. On conviction a lifetime ban from keeping any type of farm animal was obtained;
    • R v Wood (W) and Wood (W) (2014): Alison was Prosecution Counsel for Basildon Borough Council in an elaborate and sophisticated benefit fraud involving an overpayment of benefit in the region of £150k. Confiscation orders were obtained for nearly £80k;
    • Re: Rochdale Child Sex Ring (May 2012): This case concerned the prosecution of nine taxi drivers who sexually exploited and trafficked girls as young as 12 in the Rochdale area. Alison was instructed to address disclosure and conduct the public interest immunity hearings in respect of one of the victims.
    • R v BCAT (2012): Alison was Prosecution Counsel for Essex County Council Trading Standards Department in a case concerning the sale on the internet of tooth whitener. The quantity of hydrogen peroxide within the product was found to exceed the legal limit by between 65 and 102 times. The offences were brought under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the Cosmetic Products Regulations 2008. BCAT was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 8-months imprisonment;
    • R v RM and SM (2011): Alison was Prosecution Counsel for Epping Forest District Council in the largest benefit fraud ever prosecuted by Authority. Alison secured guilty pleas from both Defendants to benefit fraud of £130,000. The case subsequently appeared on the BBC Saints and Scroungers programme;
    • R v MB and AB (2010): Alison was sole Prosecution Counsel in a 4-week trial before the Crown Court at Chelmsford in February 2010 representing Essex County Council Trading Standards Department. The Defendants were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by “clocking vehicles”. The second Defendant was also convicted of being knowingly a party to a fraudulent business. A confiscation order was obtained against the first Defendant in the sum of £400,000 which included £65,000 compensation for the victims;
    • Essex County Council Trading Standards Department v Wallati Singh [2009] EWHC 520 (Admin): For an individual to establish a defence under s.92(5) of the Trade Marks Act 1994 in respect of trademark infringement offences it was necessary for that individual to show that he had an honest and reasonable belief that the use of a sign, in the manner in which it was used, was not an infringement of a registered trade mark. In this case stated matter Alison represented Essex County Council Trading Standards Department regarding the application of the defence under s.92(5).
  • Publications

    Richardson and Clarke: “Sexual Offences, A Practitioner’s Guide”. Alison wrote the chapter on Third Party Disclosure.

    Contributor to Consumer and Trading Standards: Law and Practice 2022 (Lewin and Kirk QC) – Unfair Trading Chapter.

  • Education, qualifications, memberships
    • Open University LLB (Hons)
    • Legal Commission’s Expert Legal Panel on Taxi Licensing.
    • Criminal Bar Association
    • South Eastern Circuit
  • Privacy Notice

    Please see a short form of my privacy notice here: Short Form Notice

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VAT number: 872780100