TRADING standards officers are warning people in Wiltshire to check the credentials of their dry cleaners after a number of complaints over clothes and soft furnishings.

People in the county have complained about ruined wedding dresses, expensive suits being lost and custom-made items being spoilt. One consumer had a completely different rug returned after placing it for specialist cleaning, while another had a set of £500 curtains ruined.

Trading standards officers are recommending that customers find out what sort of compensation procedure their dry cleaners will follow if things go wrong .

Sue Wilkin, senior adviser with Wiltshire County Council Trading Standards, said: "We trust our most valuable clothing and textiles to dry cleaners without making proper checks on their reputation. Most reputable business will have a compensation procedure but some do not."

She is advising people to take the following steps to protect precious possessions:

Check what compensation procedures are in a place by asking for written terms and conditions;

Use businesses that belong to a trade association such as the Textile Service Association;

Ask for assurance before leaving garments that the business can deal with the textile concerned. A reputable dry cleaner will point out any potential problems before taking your garment;

If unsure, seek a second opinion.

As part of an on going survey of dry cleaners, Trading Standards Consumer Advice Service would also be interested to hear from any local consumer who has experienced a problem in the last six months.