Officers from Leicestershire County Council’s Trading Standards service are urging residents to stay alert when buying toys and gifts in the run-up to Christmas, as unsafe products continue to appear in shops, markets and online.
With festive shopping in full swing, many parents and gift-givers may be tempted by cheap toys and gifts from online platforms such as eBay, Temu, Facebook and Amazon, where third-party sellers often operate. While these items may look attractive and cost less than high street alternatives, they can be poorly made and fail to meet UK safety standards, putting the recipients at risk.
Since January 1 this year, Trading Standards officers working at East Midlands Airport have seized more than 10,000 unsafe and counterfeit toys and gifts being imported for sale in the UK.
Some of the biggest issues affecting toys and gifts are:
- Soft toys intended for infants with small parts that can easily be detached and could lead to choking if swallowed
- Products with unsafe chargers that won’t fit in UK sockets correctly which could lead to electrocution or fire hazard
- Counterfeit jewellery with unsafe levels of heavy metals
- Counterfeit cosmetics with toxic or otherwise unsafe ingredients
One of the main issues is a lack of labelling, with items that are difficult to screen test for safety issues at the border. While not a definitive safety issue, a lack of labelling suggests that products have not gone through checks to ensure they meet the UK’s safety requirements.
To ensure safety this Christmas, shoppers are being reminded about the top tips for spotting potentially dangerous toys and gifts:
- Check the packaging: Does it look genuine? Are the print and safety warnings in the correct language?
- Buying from abroad? Overseas sellers may not comply with UK safety regulations.
- Read reviews carefully: If lots of reviews sound very similar, they could be fake.
- Watch for small or loose parts: Toys without age warnings or with detachable pieces can pose choking hazards.
We all want to have a happy Christmas and make it special, but safety must come first. Cheap toys and gifts from unverified sellers can look appealing but may not meet the standards needed to keep children and adults safe. Please take a few extra minutes to check before you buy.
Person:Councillor Virge Richichi, cabinet member for regulatory services
More advice on toy safety is available on the Child Accident Prevention Trust website.