An Omagh furniture retailer who operated without a consumer credit licence has been given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay costs of £25 at Strabane Magistrates' Court.

In a case brought by the Trading Standards Service of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Sharon Elizabeth Booth, who traded as Booth's Furniture & Electrical, Derry Road, Omagh pleaded guilty to a charge under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. In November 2009, Trading Standards Service received a complaint relating to a sale financed by a '0%' interest credit agreement.

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Trading Standards Service discovered that Booth's Furniture & Electrical did not have a consumer credit licence.

Any business offering credit, to consumers, of up to £30,000 must, by law, possess a licence, which is issued by the Office of Fair Trading.

Raymond Dolan of the Trading Standards Service said: "Most businesses that offer goods or services on credit or for hire, or that lend money to consumers, are required to be licenced by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The licensing regime ensures that OFT only issues a licence if it is satisfied that the applicant is competent and a 'fit person' to hold one. Unlicenced trading is a criminal offence."

(GK/KMcA)