Tips for safe and sound shopping

Safety tips include avoiding impulse buys and setting a budget, checking store return policies and making sure any items bought are not damaged in any way as soon as possible after purchase.

Colin Baxter, trading standards manager, said: "These useful suggestions will help residents to plan their Christmas shopping carefully so that they can enjoy the festivities in style. At Christmas, it is important to think about consumer rights and make sensible purchases."

Other handy tips include keeping receipts for proof of purchase, never buying unlabelled toys or electrical equipment, checking safety labels on toys being bought for children and only using secure sites for online shopping.