Council acts against dangerous teddies

In another success for Tower Hamlets Council’s Trading Standards department, tourists have been protected from dangerous teddy bears which were on sale near the Tower of London.

The department took action last year, having been tipped off by colleagues in Westminster that dangerous teddies were on the loose. The bears, dressed up as typically London figures, were being sold as souvenirs. The Council impounded a number of bears and, on subjecting them to the standard tension test required by European safety standards, found that the bears’ eyes were inadequately anchored and could be easily pulled off by small children, presenting a choking hazard. This dangerous fault meant that selling the bears was illegal under European Union (EU) law.

The toys were traced back to B&S Souvenir Supplies Ltd, a company based in Waltham Forest, which had been importing the bears since 2014 from a Chinese manufacturer who had informed them the bears were safety-compliant. Trading Standards did not accept this very thin defence and prosecuted the company and its director.

The case was heard on 8th October. The Court ruled that B&S Souvenir Supplies Ltd and its director had failed to meet its responsibility to carry out its own tests on the products and was in breach of the Consumer Protection Act 1987. The company was fined £12,700 and its director was ordered personally to pay costs of a further £3,500.

The Council invites anyone who suspects illegally imported goods are being traded in the borough, or has suspicions about the way a business operates, to report the matter to the Council’s Consumer and Business Regulations service on 020-7364 5008 or via email to: trading.standards@towerhamlets.gov.uk

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