Discover the City’s smallest serving window, a miniature wool boutique and a mouse-sized video shop at the new Wunderkammer, open from September to December

A curious new address will appear on one of Leadenhall Market’s cobbled alleyways when the Wunderkammer opens at No. 27¼ on Thursday 3 September. Open from Thursday to Saturday until December, the installation centres on an Italian-inspired serving window, launching with limited-edition miniature postcards before Market tenants and visiting brands take over on rotation with cakes, coffee, wine and exclusive products. A tiny wool boutique and mouse-sized video shop complete the trio, revealing different chapters of the Market’s history and character.

Taking its cue from 19th-century curiosity cabinets, miniature theatres and Leadenhall Market’s ornate Victorian architecture, the installation is designed to intrigue and delight, with three unexpected worlds for visitors to uncover throughout the autumn and festive season.

The serving window takes inspiration from Florence’s historic buchette del vino, where residents once bought wine directly from palace cellars. Next door, visitors can peer into the Lilliputian sized video rental shop which celebrates Leadenhall Market’s on-screen credentials. Best known for standing in for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the Market has more recently appeared in the Netflix spy thriller Black Doves and Apple TV+’s Slow Horses, amongst many others. Those exploring the display can search its shelves for references to scenes filmed among Leadenhall’s distinctive shopfronts and architectural details.

The wool boutique reaches further back into the Market’s trading history. By 1463, the Market was where wool tronage was determined, a tax traders paid to have their goods officially weighed using a specially installed beam (or trona). The display brings this medieval connection to life on a suitably small scale.

Ollie Goode, asset manager for Leadenhall Market said: “Leadenhall’s architecture is grand, but many of its charms are found in the details: from the original butchers’ meat hooks above our restaurants, bars and shops, to the City’s dragons keeping a watchful eye over visitors. The Wunderkammer plays with that contrast, and draws on centuries of trading history, bringing moments of curiosity and wonder on an unexpected scale to offer visitors, diners and shoppers a new way to experience our unique space.”

The Leadenhall Wunderkammer opens to the public on Thursday 3 September 2-6pm, continuing at the same timeslot Thursday to Saturday until 22 December. Entry to view the tiny video rental and wool shops is free, with products available to purchase through the miniature serving window. Check Leadenhall Market Instagram and Facebook pages and website for details of opening programme.

Leadenhall Market is owned and managed by The City of London Corporation.

Since 2020, Barley has provided full-service strategic communications to East West Railway Company (EWR Co) to support its progression towards applying for a Development Consent Order (DCO) for East West Rail, the new railway connecting Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge.

Through multiple political administrations and three public consultations, our work has enabled EWR Co to maintain momentum, strengthen stakeholder trust and mitigate delivery risk.

Our remit has included strategic advice, political and stakeholder engagement, public consultation, media and digital communications, sensitive landowner engagement and internal capability development – delivered using Barley’s IMPACT model to ensure communications directly supported the organisation’s strategic and programme objectives and helped to make the case for EWR.

By focusing on EWR Co’s broader strategic objectives, we helped them meet challenges, mitigate risks and maintain a robust case for EWR throughout:

Extensive political upheaval, including five Prime Ministers
Consultation in 2021 during COVID
The appointment of two new CEOs
The Route Update Announcement in 2023
Consultation in 2024 – 2025

Results

Our work has delivered measurable programme benefits by reducing key risks and building trust amongst key stakeholders by:

Accelerating political engagement general post-election: our highly successful ‘100 Days’ programme in advance of the 2024 General Election identified and mapped potential new MPs along the line of route and likely Ministers so that as soon as new people were in post, we were able to contact them with meaningful content. We engaged 100% of new MPs along the route within two weeks of the election, avoiding any engagement lag and potential negative perceptions from the new elected representatives
Working with Aecom to develop a consultation strategy that deployed new digital technologies to deliver the public consultation in 2021 (during COVID), supporting the organisation and its technical experts through its first and only digital public consultation, and leading to the highest response rates of any of EWR Co’s three public consultations
Supporting the new CEO from the start, planning and drafting event speeches, media features and blogs alongside extensive media training and briefings before major media announcements, such as the Route Update Announcement in 2023
Implementing a new land and survey communications strategy to ensure sensitive land and property issues were managed with empathy, consistency and clarity to build trust and reduce delays to the programme. This also led to faster land access approvals, where engagement support helped to unlock key land access agreements for surveys, saving time and costs.
Producing an extensive risk register that went beyond communications, encompassing risks across the programme, tagged and prioritised with mitigations and recommendations for management. This led to the development of bespoke handling plans for the highest priority risks, which helped mitigate any escalating communications risks and avoided potential derailing of the programme.

Overall, Barley’s strategic communications support contributed to significant risk reduction, smoother delivery of public consultations, and improved stakeholder and public perceptions, helping to maintain vital support for the project from multiple changes in government.

Barley has been providing strategic communications support to East West Railway Company (EWR Co) since 2020. This has included a strong focus on community and stakeholder engagement, public consultation, media and digital communications – all delivered using our IMPACT model to ensure we’re supporting EWR Co’s strategic and programme objectives.

We have provided support to EWR Co though three public consultations – in 2021, 2024-2025 and 2026 – as well as a major Route Update Announcement in 2023. Our work through these key project communications milestones has measurably improved community engagement, media sentiment and public perception to uphold the case for the project and the reputation of EWR Co as they move towards submitting an application for a Development Consent Order.

Results

For their public consultation in 2021, which took place during Covid, Barley held leading roles in developing consultation materials, hosting online events, media relations and event management. Working alongside Aecom, we developed a consultation strategy that deployed new digital technologies, navigating the organisation and its technical experts through lockdown restrictions and its first and only digital public consultation. There were 9000+ responses and 140,000 matters raised during the consultation – the highest response rate and awareness of any of EWR Co’s three public consultations.

Our strategic media support significantly improved media sentiment, leading to an uplift in positive sentiment in EWR coverage since 2021, which was particularly important for the Route Update Announcement in May 2023. That month saw a year-on-year transformation in terms of media sentiment, with an 82% reduction in negative media coverage and a 93% increase in positive coverage. Our strategy helped to facilitate open and meaningful dialogue with local journalists.

At the Route Update Announcement, we developed a media strategy, provided media training for the CEO and other media spokespeople, drafted reactive lines to take, undertook reviews of technical documents and developed key materials, such as website and video content, which included visual animations explaining complex issues as well as community vox pops. We also devised and delivered four launch plans for each major area along the EWR route, which helped secure local media coverage that reflected our carefully crafted strategic messages relevant to their local area.

We provided strategic communications advice for the non-statutory consultation in 2024 – 2025 at the highest levels of the business and offered guidance around lessons learned from previous consultation. For the 2026 consultation, we focused in on supporting land and property related engagement to ensure sensitive stakeholders were engaged with empathy, clarity and transparency, to build trust and minimise risks to the programme and developed four booklets for different areas along the route.

Barley’s strategic communications support has led to the smooth delivery of public consultations and improved stakeholder and public perceptions of the EWR project.

Building nationally important infrastructure is challenging at the best of times. Building it through a period of political instability is harder still.

Since Barley began supporting East West Railway Company, the UK has had five Prime Ministers, multiple changes in government and shifting national priorities around infrastructure, growth, transport and public spending. At the same time, East West Rail is being developed across a complex geography, connecting Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge through communities with very different views, priorities and levels of support for the project.

Following the 2024 General Election, EWR Co needed to build relationships quickly with newly elected MPs, returning MPs, council leaders and potential ministers along the route. For a major infrastructure project preparing for future consultation and consent, a slow post-election reset would have created risk. Decision-makers needed to understand both the benefits and the challenges of East West Rail, while those who influence them needed a clear and accurate understanding of the project’s position.

The challenge was not only to engage political stakeholders, but to identify where support could be maintained, strengthened or unlocked. This included existing and potential advocates across local government, major employers and institutions, including organisations such as AstraZeneca, Cambridge University and local businesses whose voices could help make the case for East West Rail.

Barley was asked to develop and deliver a rapid political engagement programme that would help EWR Co understand the new political landscape, prioritise engagement and build constructive relationships with key decision-makers and advocates within the first 100 days.

Insights and approach

Our insight was clear: after an election, speed matters, but relevance matters more. Newly elected representatives do not need generic project information. They need to understand what the project means for their constituency, their residents and their political priorities.

Ahead of the election, we mapped likely parliamentary outcomes along the route, identifying potential new MPs, returning MPs, relevant ministers and key local political stakeholders. We also mapped potential advocates, including local authorities, major employers, universities and local business voices who could help demonstrate the wider economic, social and connectivity case for the project.

This meant EWR Co was ready to act as soon as the results were known, rather than losing momentum during the usual post-election re-engagement period.

We developed targeted briefing materials, constituency-specific messaging and clear lines-to-take, ensuring engagement was practical, accurate and locally relevant. These materials helped decision-makers understand the strategic benefits of East West Rail, the local issues that needed to be managed, and the current position of the project as it moved towards future consultation and consent.

We also helped EWR Co prepare for challenging conversations, including with representatives who were sceptical, opposed or under pressure from local campaign groups. The programme was designed to be structured but flexible, enabling EWR Co to prioritise the most important relationships, respond quickly to new political dynamics, maintain consistency across meetings and follow up with the right information, evidence and advocacy opportunities.

Results

The 100 Days programme enabled EWR Co to move quickly and confidently in a changed political environment.

Within two weeks of the General Election, EWR Co had engaged 100% of new MPs along the route, avoiding the months-long re-engagement lag that often follows political change.

The programme helped establish early relationships with newly elected representatives, improve understanding of local priorities and create a stronger platform for future consultation, consenting and delivery.

It also helped EWR Co maintain and unlock support among influential advocates, including civic leaders, major employers, universities and local businesses. By connecting the project to local economic growth, skills, innovation, housing and business priorities, Barley helped ensure supportive voices were better informed and more confident in making the case for East West Rail.

The work contributed to a positive shift in political sentiment, helping turn several newly elected MPs into more active and constructive voices in the project conversation.

By combining political insight, rapid delivery, advocate mapping and locally relevant messaging, Barley helped EWR Co protect momentum, reduce reputational risk and strengthen stakeholder relationships at a critical point for the programme.

National Trading Standards publishes new data on seizures and penalties as it launches Behind the Butt campaign

More than 33 million illicit cigarettes have been seized from local retail outlets in the past year as part of Operation CeCe, a joint initiative between National Trading Standards and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to tackle the illicit tobacco trade. The haul of illicit products also includes more than 9900kg of hand rolling tobacco – with a combined revenue value of nearly £24 million.

Since its launch in January 2021, Operation CeCe has removed 102 million illicit cigarettes, 20,550kg of hand-rolling tobacco and almost 175kg of shisha products from sale, helping to clamp down on this illicit trade and protect communities across the UK. The Trading Standards operation has ramped up over the past year, as more seizures are being made across the country to disrupt the supply and trade of illicit tobacco products.

The latest data show that successful seizures are increasing significantly as Operation CeCe expands. Penalties totalling £3.5 million have also been issued to retailers and individuals involved in the sale of illicit tobacco since 2023, when stronger powers were introduced.

The illicit tobacco trade is driven by organised criminal gangs – often selling from shops and vape stores on UK high streets – and poses serious risks to local communities, especially younger people who can be hooked into a cycle of addiction by the supply of more accessible, cheaper and unregulated illicit tobacco products.

Lord Bichard, Chair, National Trading Standards, said:

“Illicit tobacco is not a victimless crime. It makes cheap tobacco more accessible, particularly to young people, undermines honest local businesses and helps fund organised criminal networks that profit from exploiting communities.

“These latest results show that Trading Standards is building an increasingly detailed intelligence picture of the illicit tobacco trade and using it to target enforcement where it will have the greatest impact. Those who choose to sell illicit tobacco should be under no illusion – the chances of being identified are growing, and we will continue working with partners to disrupt this criminal trade, protect consumers and bring offenders to justice.”

Zoe Gascoyne, Director, HMRC Fraud Investigation Service, said:

““Illicit tobacco undermines legitimate retailers, funds wider criminality, and harms public health while depriving our vital public services of around £1.7 billion a year.

“We will continue to work with partners like trading standards to tackle this organised criminal trade that harms our communities. These criminal networks don’t care who they sell to, often targeting underage buyers.

“We urge anyone with information about the smuggling, distribution or sale of illicit tobacco to report it online.”

People and retailers are encouraged to report any concerns about illegal sales in their area.

Report anonymously to HMRC online
Or contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline 0808 223 1133
In Scotland contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000

Interactive installation to tour East London, helping residents spot hidden batteries and recycle electrical devices safely

New research launched today by East London Waste Authority (ELWA) estimates that 48 million* batteries and small electrical items were incorrectly put in household bins, rather than dedicated recycling points, in the capital last year, despite 47% of Londoners being “fully aware” that this action can cause fires in bin lorries or waste facilities.

The polling by Censuswide found that 57% of the 1,000 London residents interviewed have disposed of at least one small electrical item in their household rubbish over the past 12 months, despite many containing hidden lithium-ion batteries which can ignite when crushed in waste collection vehicles or recycling facilities. Just under three in five Londoners (59%) admitted the same for loose batteries, the incorrect disposal of which poses similar risks.

The findings come as ELWA launches the ‘HypnoCube’ an eye-catching new installation featuring educational games and the Recycle Your Electricals mascot ‘HypnoCat’, which will tour ELWA’s partnering boroughs from 28 July to 26 August. The HypnoCube was built by Kind Cycle, the successful winners of a design competition launched by ELWA and Material Focus earlier this year. The installation was designed to help residents identify products containing hidden batteries, understand the risks associated with incorrect disposal and learn how to recycle them.

Battery fires have become an increasing concern for waste and recycling operators across the UK. Hidden lithium-ion batteries found in everyday items such as vapes, headphones, toys, electric toothbrushes, phones and e-scooters can become damaged when placed in household bins, potentially causing fires when crushed during collection or processing. Over the past two years, East London waste disposal facilities have seen an increase in fires, from 229 (24/25) to 350 (25/26). While it is often difficult to determine the exact cause of each fire, it is thought that most have been caused by batteries.

More than a third of the survey participants (35%) said they were only somewhat aware of the fire risks, while 17% are completely unaware.

Nearly a quarter of Londoners said they don’t know where to take small electrical items and batteries to be recycled properly (23%), while the same proportion said there is no convenient drop-off point near their home (23%).

Uncertainty around disposal is also leading many Londoners to hold onto unwanted electricals rather than recycle them. Nearly two-thirds (63%) have at least one small electrical item sitting in a drawer, cupboard or bag awaiting disposal, while 18–24-year-olds have an average of more than four unwanted electrical items stored at home.

Encouragingly, the research shows there is a strong appetite among Londoners to learn more about battery recycling and to take action. More than three in five (61%) said they would change the way they dispose of batteries if they better understood the risks.

Support for further public education is also very strong, with 80% backing a London-wide campaign to improve battery recycling and 72% saying clearer information on drop-off locations would make it easier for them to recycle batteries correctly.

To help residents in Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham, & Redbridge better understand battery fire risks and encourage them to take their items to their nearest drop-off point using the Recycle Your Electricals locator, ELWA will be launching a roadshow on 28 July. Accompanied by battery-themed costumed characters, the colourful, interactive, giant ‘HypnoCube’ will visit parks, community events and local venues, teaching electrical reuse, repair and recycling tips through carnival style games.

Cllr Jo Blackman, Chair of East London Waste Authority said: “When batteries or small electrical items are wrongly put in a bin at home, there is a real risk that a fire can start in a bin lorry or at one of our waste facilities, putting frontline workers in danger. The good news is that Londoners want to do the right thing. Our research shows people are willing to change how they recycle once they understand the risks and know where to take unwanted batteries and electricals.

“That’s why we’re excited to bring our new roadshow to communities across East London this summer. We want to help people spot the hidden batteries in everyday items, understand why it matters to dispose of them correctly and help them to understand where and how they can do that. A small change at home can make a big difference to the safety of frontline staff, while also helping to reduce the costs and operational disruption caused by fires.”

Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus said: “We are pleased to support the launch of the HypnoCube project that helps address the pressing issue of e-waste. This eye-catching installation will help to raise awareness of electrical waste and battery fires and how the residents of east London can recycle their electricals. We have already taken a significant step towards creating a more sustainable future by making it easier for more than 12 million people in the UK to reuse and recycle their electricals. Anything with a plug, battery or cable, can be re-used, donated, or recycled”

Richard Field, London Fire Brigade Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Prevention & Protection, said: “Our crews see first-hand the dangers and risks that incorrectly disposed of batteries can have. We continue to be called out to fires involving waste collection vehicles; some of which can take a considerable amount of time to resolve and often results in waste temporarily piled high in residential streets. When fires occur at waste disposal sites or recycling centres, the consequences can be even greater because there are huge amounts of flammable materials present. These fires can often be very time consuming to extinguish and can have a detrimental impact on the local environment and community. We suspect that lithium-ion batteries are responsible for a significant amount of these types of fires and urge everyone to take care and dispose of the batteries properly.”

Orjon De Roo from Kind Cycle said: “At Kind Cycle, we believe the experiences people remember are the ones that inspire lasting change. That’s why we created the HypnoCube, an interactive experience that sparks curiosity, starts conversations and helps people discover the hidden batteries in everyday items. By creating memorable moments, we encourage simple actions that become lasting habits, helping to protect our environment. We’re proud to have helped bring the HypnoCube to communities across East London this summer, inspiring people of all ages to recycle more hidden batteries and make a positive difference together.”

ELWA’s installation tour forms part of the waste authority’s ongoing partnership with Material Focus and will be visiting the following locations:

Redbridge
- South Park, South Park Road Ilford, IG1 1XU
- Greener Together Family Learning Day & launch event
- 28 July – 10am – 2pm
Barking & Dagenham
- Becontree Heath Leisure Centre, Althorne Way, Dagenham RM10 7FH
- 13 August – 10am – 2pm
Newham
- East Ham Library, 328 Barking Road, East Ham, London E6 2RT
- 18 August – 10am-2pm
Havering
- Queens Theatre Green, Billet Lane, Hornchurch RM11 1AX
- Community Fun Day
- 26 August – 12pm-2pm

Barley Communications and National Trading Standards (NTS) have been shortlisted at The Stationers’ Company Innovation Excellence Awards 2026 for our national campaign tackling the emerging threat of AI-enabled scams.

Fighting AI cloning scams for National Trading Standards is shortlisted in the Communications including Marketing category, recognising an innovative campaign that made a complex and largely invisible fraud risk tangible and understandable for consumers.

Working as NTS’s outsourced press office, Barley combined frontline enforcement intelligence, original consumer research and authentic evidence from a real voice cloning scam with a broadcast-first media strategy.

The campaign generated 474 media placements, including coverage on BBC Breakfast and ITV and across national and regional radio, print and online media. Importantly, it also helped turn awareness into action, with 3,500 scam checks carried out through scam-checking tool Ask Silver during the campaign period.

Read the full case study: Delivering a national behaviour change campaign on AI-enabled scams

The shortlisting follows Barley’s success at the Innovation Excellence Awards in 2025, when our work with Leadenhall Market and the City of London Corporation won the Communications and Marketing Award.

That campaign brought weekend market trading back to the historic Leadenhall Market after a 40-year hiatus, helping to revitalise the landmark as a weekend destination. It delivered a 109% year-on-year increase in weekend visitors and a 150% increase in tenant turnover.

Read the case study: Revitalising Leadenhall Market as a weekend destination

The 2026 Innovation Excellence Awards take place at Stationers’ Hall on Friday 23 October.

Barley Communications has won Marketing/Advertising Campaign of the Year at the UK Green Business Awards 2026 for our Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight campaign with Keep Britain Tidy.

We also received a highly commended award in the same category for our work launching Oceana UK’s Deep Declinereport and were shortlisted for Communications Agency of the Year, recognising the breadth of our work across the environment, sustainability and climate sectors.

The judges described the Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight campaign as “hugely impactful”, praising its ability to raise the profile of fly-tipping through an integrated communications campaign that combined national media engagement, digital communications and stakeholder partnerships. They also recognised its success in engaging businesses on their legal responsibilities and helping to move the issue higher up the political agenda.

The recognition comes just weeks after we were named Consultancy of the Year at the Better Society Awards, making 2026 a landmark year as we celebrate our tenth anniversary.

Over the past decade, we have had the privilege of supporting organisations across the environmental, sustainability and climate sectors to communicate complex issues clearly, engage audiences effectively and drive meaningful change. These awards are a reflection of the brilliant clients, partners and collaborators we have worked alongside during that time, and we are grateful for their continued trust and ambition.

Our award-winning Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight campaign helped tackle one of the root causes of fly-tipping by encouraging householders to check that anyone removing their waste was a licensed waste carrier. Through an integrated programme of behaviour change communications, media relations, stakeholder engagement and digital activity, we helped raise awareness of individual responsibility while supporting wider efforts to reduce environmental crime.

Our work with Oceana UK on the launch of the Deep Decline report was also recognised by the judges. The campaign raised awareness of the scale and impact of overfishing in UK waters, engaging government, retailers and the public while strengthening calls for better protection of UK seas.

As we look ahead to the next chapter, we remain focused on helping organisations navigate change, build trust and tell compelling stories that inspire action. Whether supporting behaviour change campaigns, launching major research or helping organisations influence policy and public debate, we are committed to delivering communications that create lasting impact.

If you would like to find out more about our work with Keep Britain Tidy, Oceana UK and other organisations driving positive environmental change, or discuss an upcoming communications, PR, brand or marketing project, we would be delighted to hear from you.

East West Railway Company (EWR Co) is developing plans for a new railway between Oxford and Cambridge, linking people with jobs, schools, services and each other, opening up new journeys, cutting travel times, easing road congestion and supporting sustainable economic growth across the region.

It is one of the UK’s most complex and sensitive infrastructure programmes and ‘megaprojects’. It involves building and upgrading railway infrastructure across a long, varied and already developed corridor between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge, affecting thousands of land and property interests along the route.

The project requires carefully targeted engagement with individuals and organisations whose circumstances, concerns and exposure to the proposals vary widely, from major landowners and multinational businesses to small local firms, tenants on short commercial leases, homeowners, farmers and community assets. It also sits within a highly scrutinised political environment, with local leaders who support the project, others who remain opposed or unconvinced, strong project advocates and organised opposition all seeking clear answers about what the proposals mean in practice.

Working within a sensitive and complex infrastructure programme, EWR Co wanted to make sure that communications with landowners are clear, empathetic and consistent. The goal was to reduce avoidable queries and escalation, build trust and support the timely agreement of survey access and voluntary arrangements. The project is fast paced and effective interaction with people is vital given the need to submit an application for a Development Consent Order.

Insights and approach

Effective stakeholder engagement in infrastructure communications depends on clarity, consistency and timing, particularly when issues are sensitive, such as compulsory acquisition or accessing private land for surveys.

Using our extensive knowledge of East West Rail following six years of working on the project, we acted as a strategic link between EWR Co’s Land and Property and External Engagement teams, ensuring alignment between technical information and wider planning communications.

Our approach combined additional capacity with specialist expertise. We started by developing a communications strategy for land and survey work which set out a strategic approach to ensuring co-ordinated, clear and empathetic landowner communications. We then established a planning process that ensured careful cross-team co-ordination and collaboration, and avoided communications fatigue amongst landowners.

We drafted and quality-assured landowner engagement materials – including survey licence cover letters, letters to directly affected landowners, consultation materials and FAQs about land impacts, surveys and property acquisition issues – ensuring a consistently clear, warm and open tone of voice and improving accessibility without losing technical accuracy.

We supported engagement planning around evolving programme requirements, helping teams anticipate landowner concerns and respond proactively. For more complex or higher-risk issues, we advised on strategic and de-risked engagement planning, and developed clear lines-to-take, enabling confident and consistent responses.

We also ensured land and property considerations were fully reflected in wider external affairs activity, including briefings for MPs, media and other key stakeholder along the route.

Results

Our work strengthened the quality and consistency of landowner engagement across the programme, helping EWR Co build trust and maintain positive relationships.

By improving alignment between teams and proactively addressing potential engagement risks and concerns, we supported more efficient and responsive communication with landowners.

This contributed to a more streamlined approach to securing survey access and voluntary agreements, while reducing risk across sensitive land and property issues.

Our input also ensured that land and property considerations were more effectively integrated into broader stakeholder engagement activity, supporting a more joined-up and strategic approach.

Criminals are ‘poisoning’ AI (artificial intelligence) models such as Chat GPT and other large language models (LLMs) so that they pick up scam websites and recommend them to consumers searching online, according to National Trading Standards (NTS) and Ask Silver, a free consumer scam checking platform.

Data shared by Ask Silver show ‘copycat’ websites cloned from legitimate businesses are being recommended in AI-search results. The websites use fake web addresses that look similar to the real site and take payment for products that never arrive. These websites are getting hundreds of visitors per day through AI recommendations, putting consumers at risk of landing on scam websites.

Known as ‘poisoning attacks’, criminals can compromise the safety of LLMs by injecting malicious documents into their training data, recent research indicates.* These documents can plant a hidden weakness in an AI system. When triggered by certain words or phrases, the AI may produce inaccurate information, malfunction or carry out actions that its developers never intended.

Because of the relatively small number of malicious documents that can poison even the biggest of the LLMs, the findings suggest that influencing AI systems may be easier and cheaper for criminals than previously thought, representing a huge emerging threat to consumers and businesses.

National Trading Standards is today urging consumers who use AI search to check that they are on a genuine website before buying anything. One way to do this is via approved tools such as those by Ask Silver or Get Safe Online, which can check if a website is legitimate and provide advice in just a few seconds.

Louise Baxter MBE, Head of the National Trading Standards Scams Team said:

“Consumers are increasingly turning to AI tools for advice and recommendations, but criminals are adapting just as quickly. The fact that scam websites can appear in AI-generated results is worrying, and is a stark reminder that fraudsters will exploit any new technology that helps them reach potential victims.

“People should not assume that a website is genuine simply because it has been recommended by an AI tool. The best defence is to stop and think. A quick check before buying anything or giving any personal information could prevent you from becoming the victim of a scam.”

Alex Somervell, co-founder of Ask Silver, said:

“We came across this deeply concerning trend thanks to the thousands of UK consumers using our free Scam Checker. Criminals are becoming increasingly skilled at creating websites that closely mimic trusted brands, making them difficult to spot with the naked eye. We were shocked to find that these clone sites are now being recommended by AI. This is likely the beginning of a new pattern of behaviour in fraud, and may be just the tip of the iceberg.

“A recommendation from an online search or from AI can be the start of your research, but not the end of it. It’s always worth taking a few seconds to verify the website before entering any personal information or payment details. Scam checkers such as Ask Silver can help people identify warning signs before they become victims, and help alert others.”

Fraud and scams can be reported to Report Fraud (www.reportfraud.police.uk), or you can call the Citizens Advice Consumer Service for advice on 0808 223 1133.

The NTS Scams Team has launched a free app to help people to protect themselves using their phone. The app includes scam alerts, prevention tips, clear advice on what to do if targeted and signposts to trusted sources of help. To download the app, visit the Friends Against Scams website (www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk).

by Laura Harrison, head of sustainability, Barley Communications

It’s World Environment Day and it’s almost exactly ten years since we launched Barley’s first environmental campaign, a couple of months after Barley was conceived. Happy Birthday to us! We were teeny tiny when we started (a handful of us sitting round the table wanting to change the world) but our drive for doing good was gargantuan. It’s been an exhilarating ride….

Our first campaign was for Hubbub, a fabulous charity also in its infancy at the time. Our task was to get Londoners to think twice about buying bagged salad. Polling data concluded that a million bags of salad were thrown away each week in London in the summer. The topic was a hard sell to media but nevertheless we landed some great coverage including the Evening Standard. Environmental stories were fairly tricky to land in 2016. But something seemed to shift in 2017-2019. Coffee cup recycling, river pollution, plastic litter, air pollution, fast fashion – these topics started gaining traction and mainstream media suddenly couldn’t get enough environmental stories. “Finally people are waking up to the crisis, they want to take action,” I thought. It was quite a relief.

Then Brexit happened. Then COVID hit. Aside from some remarkable stories on the reduction in carbon emissions from the quiet streets and blank skies, the world and its media had (understandably) more immediate issues to cover. The environment got sidelined and I’m not sure it ever really got back on the playing field in the same way. The bottom fell out of the reuse movement – who wanted to risk getting covid from a fork or coffee cup? New policies and legislation got delayed and delayed. Environmental issues became increasingly politicised and sucked into the culture wars. It divided people and this was reflected in how the media covered (or actively avoided) environmental stories. Some talented environmental editors and writers lost their jobs and the demand for content on how consumers can take environmental action tailed off.

Despite the challenging landscape we continue to land stories and engage audiences with our campaigns; shining a light on micro-fibres, river pollution, peat-free compost, recycling contamination, e-waste, fly-tipping and over-fishing to name but a few. We’ve often chosen to pivot, using cost-savings and local pride to draw in our audiences rather than the environment which is sometimes a topic they’re less likely to engage with.

The media and digital landscape has shifted so much over these ten years. We now make use of many more channels to reach and influence people. Inspiring individuals and organisations are using social media platforms to challenge, call out, shine a light on the ludicrous, igniting important discussions and prompting e-petitions and community action.

Something else is shifting too. More and more people are beginning to experience the impacts of climate change. The floods, the heatwaves, the failed crops. This should be a catalyst for action. And maybe that action is now more focused on resilience and adaptation rather than prevention. Because climate change is already here. The media could play a key role in informing and educating people and I do hope we see the same kind of enthusiasm that we did back in the 2017-2019 “sweet spot” I mentioned previously.

Barley will continue to advocate passionately for the natural world and the fight against climate change. We are privileged to work with some brilliant environmental charities, public bodies and councils and have some really exciting and impactful work lined up over the coming months.

As we plan our birthday celebrations ten years on, we’re putting the finishing touches to a creative campaign for ReLondon to get more Londoners recycling the food they can’t eat. I do wonder how much salad Londoners are still throwing away?

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