Online shoppers were advised to make sure they know their rights yesterday at the start of National Consumer Week.

Oxfordshire County Council's trading standards team will be urging online shoppers to do more to protect themselves.

The council's trading standards officers have been working this year to combat rogue traders and make people aware of their rights.

Trading standards manager Richard Webb is the national lead officer for e-Commerce for the Trading Standards Institute (TSI).

Mr Webb said: "More than half of the estimated 27 million shoppers who will go online to seek out bargain buys this Christmas will be in the dark about their basic consumer rights.

"We know that in Oxfordshire there are more people with broadband Internet access than in most parts of the country.

"It therefore follows that in Oxfordshire we have more reason than most to make sure people are informed about the pitfalls of online shopping."

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) estimates that annual online spending has risen to more than £30bn.

But a worrying percentage of shoppers are unaware of their consumer rights and responsibilities.

The findings from a recent OFT market study revealed that online buyers lacked knowledge about their ability to cancel an order, how to get a refund and how to check that online traders meet legal obligations.

Mr Webb added: "The Internet is a fantastic marketplace for UK shoppers, but consumers could do more to protect themselves and get a better deal.

"During the course of the week, we'll be drawing attention to the issues and educating consumers about effective online shopping."