Potentially dangerous industrial generators and pressure washers worth thousands of pounds were seized in Barrow on Friday (4 April) during a joint operation between Cumbria Trading Standards and police.
Vans were stopped on the highway by police and the goods inspected by Trading Standards officers. The equipment was being touted around businesses and farms in the area.
Suspicions were raised when Trading Standards officers seized industrial equipment last month in the Carlisle area and the items were found not to comply with important safety legislation.
Some of the vans stopped in Barrow during Friday's operation had also been used to sell equipment in Carlisle.
Phil Ashcroft head of Cumbria Trading Standards, said: "It is essential that all equipment is properly marked and safe to use. This is even more important for industrial heavy-duty gear.
"This successful joint exercise between Trading Standards Cumbria Police should help to deter itinerant traders from selling potentially unsafe machinery in the county."
The total value of the goods seized is in the region of £30,000. Trading Standards officers will be sending the equipment off for testing.
Meanwhile the sellers, who were not resident in Cumbria, have moved out of the county.
ENDS
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