Cilycwm is Carmarthenshire’s first No Cold Calling Village

Uninvited salespeople will be committing a criminal offence if they attempt to cold call anyone living in Cilycwm, which has been named Carmarthenshire’s first No Cold Calling Village.
The measure, supported by the community council, offers all residents in the village protection from salespeople who turn up on their doorsteps.
There are more than 50 No Cold Calling Zones throughout the county where older or vulnerable people live, or where there has been evidence of doorstep crime and problems with cold callers, but this is the first time the scheme has covered a whole village.
Recent evaluations have shown them to be an effective deterrent.
Trading Standards and Dyfed Powys Police have worked together to launch the scheme.
Cllr Jim Jones, Executive Board Member for Public Protection, said: “This is a bold move, but one which we have fully supported for the benefit of all residents in Cilycwm. Doorstep callers cannot only be a nuisance, but in some cases a real danger to vulnerable people who are more at risk from falling for their sales tricks.”
Inspector Alun Samuel, of Dyfed Powys Police’s Carmarthenshire Neighbourhood Development Department, said: “This venture in Cilycwm is the first of its kind in Dyfed Powys. It is a pilot and, if successful, other villages can follow suit. We want to assist and support this rural community in crime prevention and to deter any criminals and rogue traders from operating in the area. It is recognised that some isolated rural communities can feel detached from services, including policing, and this venture shows that agencies are serious about protecting and supporting rural communities, in line with our force rural policing strategy.”
Doorstep traders will often offer services at attractive rates and use persuasive sales techniques to encourage people into making hasty decisions.

More than 10,000 complaints are made nationally every year, but this is likely to only be the tip of the iceberg – victims are often embarrassed and frightened so many incidents will go unreported.

If you are concerned about doorstep traders and need advice, contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06.