YORK businesses are being warned by trading standards officials to be on their guard after a spate of "rogue" office supply deliveries.

Offices are being targeted by a company which is sending them credit card and till rolls, together with demands for payment, without anyone having ordered the goods in the first place.

Members of City of York Council's trading standards team have received a flurry of complaints about the company, which has a registered office in London, although the delivery receipts come from France.

Liz Levett, trading standards manager, said: "There are strict laws governing companies requesting payment for unsolicited goods.

"It is an offence for anyone to demand payment for unsolicited goods, but in order to take action, we would have to be able to prove that the sender didn't know the goods were unsolicited."

Her officers are advising anyone who receives payment demands for unsolicited items to write to the sender asking them to collect the goods.

If the firm disputes that the items are unsolicited, businesses should ask them to provide proof of when an order was placed and by whom.

The letter must also inform the company that the items were not requested and should give dates and times when it is convenient for the products to be collected. The goods must be kept safe until they have been picked up.

Mrs Levett said the complaints seemed similar to a scam that surfaced in Kent last year. She said that once businesses became aware of their rights the demands quickly trailed off.

She said the till and credit card receipts were slightly more expensive than businesses' usual suppliers and were sent from an address in France.

Any businesses who have received demands for payment for unsolicited goods should phone the council's trading standards team on 01904 551562.

Updated: 10:48 Friday, August 01, 2003