WITH the big day approaching, Lancashire County Council's trading standards service is advising shoppers on their rights when buying presents.

Lancashire's head of trading standards, Paul Noone, said: “If you do find a fault, you should contact the retailer as soon as possible as delaying may mean losing the right to a refund.

“If you need to return an item, you don't need a receipt but will need to provide some form of evidence of the transaction such as a bank statement.

“You may also have additional rights when the goods have been paid for with a credit card, or online, by phone or from a catalogue, when you have a ‘cooling off’ period.

“The added credit card protection applies to items costing £100 to £30,000.

“You should check the terms of any guarantee and whether the trader has a returns policy.

“Turning to goods bought second-hand, customers have the same legal rights as if they were bought new but should be realistic about its quality.”