The recession could lead to more rogue traders and loan sharks operating in Shropshire, trading standards officials have warned. But a new public protection unit is set to tackle the issue.

With the recession already seeing the loss of thousands of jobs many people in the county are now desperately searching for work.

• Watch our video here to learn about the work of county Trading Standards

And the new Shropshire unit will be tackling the issue as one of its priorities when the new unitary council comes into force in April.

David Edwards, head of public protection at Shropshire Council, said the old county trading standards service would be merged with environmental health to create a multi-taskforce.

He said that the new service was determined to have a major impact on illegal trading activity, which is expected to increase during the economic downturn.

Mr Edwards said the secure exhibit room based at the headquarters inside the Shrewsbury Crown Court building, contained seized products which could cost industry hundreds of thousands of pounds in revenue each year.

He said: “I think that we have got to be conscious of the recession, the credit crunch and the various other factors that come from that.

“We’re concerned about businesses, small businesses and how they are going to cope and there is an ongoing need to make things as easy on them as possible and still clamp down on those rogue traders.

“We are worried about door-to-door rogue traders that are claiming to do work when they are not aware of the law that exists to ensure this doesn’t go on.”