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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Amy Sharpe

'Deadly' toys that look like sweets sold as kids' gifts on Amazon in run-up to Christmas

Potentially deadly toys are being flogged on Amazon as kids’ gifts in the run-up to Christmas.

Popular magnetic ball building kits are marketed as suitable for babies as young as one month.

But safety experts warn the strong magnets, which look like sweets, could rip through a child’s belly if swallowed.

And easy-access button batteries, common in toys like fidget spinners, have killed 60 kids globally, they say.

One £21.99 game containing 220 magnetic balls was touted on Amazon as being among the “best Christmas and New Year gifts for your family” and recommended for kids three and up.

A £26.99 511-piece product said it was fine for one-month-old babies.

One mum’s 18-month-old twin boys needed emergency surgery after swallowing 27 magnetic balls. Another mum, whose three-year-old burnt 14 holes in his stomach, begged parents: “Stay away from magnets.”

Katrina Phillips, head of the Child Accident Prevention Trust, said online marketplaces did not legally have to check toy safety. She added: “With cost-of-living pressures, we’re all looking for cheaper alternatives, but these could come at a very high cost. To put it simply, some of these toys can kill.”

Amazon said sellers must comply with laws and regulations (Omar Marques/SOPA Images/Getty Images)

Amazon said sellers must comply with laws and regulations as well as its own policies, and said the products had been removed.

It added: “Customer safety is our top priority and we actively monitor our store for product safety concerns.”

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