A business has been fined around £10,000 after it was found selling unsafe and fake children's toys.
After receiving a tip regarding imported goods, Manchester City Council trading standards officers visited Just Traders Ltd, of Commerce House, Manchester. Over 280 toys were seized on suspicion that they were unsafe or fake, which included Marvel and Batman merchandise.
Council officers found many of the toys had failed basic safety tests. Some of these saw easily removeable battery compartments, which can result in a child swallowing the battery itself.
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Officers also found some toys were easily breakable using minimal force, which can produce a choking hazard for children. It was also reported that plastic packaging was the wrong thickness, increasing the risk of asphyxiation, and that some of the electronic toys were found to contain electrical components that can be found unsafe. Some were easily detachable exposing live wires.
The council says Just Traders Ltd were invited for an interview but declined on several occasions.
The business was taken to court and at a hearing held on January 26, Khalid Mahraj appeared before Manchester Magistrates Court on behalf of Just Traders Ltd.
At the hearing, Mr Mahraj pleaded guilty to 10 total offences, relating to regulation 26 of the Toys Safety Regulations 2011. The regulation states: 'The importer must not place a toy on the market unless it will comply with the essential safety requirements during its foreseeable and normal period of use.'
Just Traders were ordered to pay a fine of £10,667 as well as additional costs of £3,354.41 and a victim surcharge of £180.
Following the hearing, Counciler Lee-Ann Igbon, Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods, said: “This is a great example of how collaborative work between ourselves, the port authority and Greater Manchester Police can lead to a successful day in Court.
"We take the sale of counterfeit goods very seriously and are taking steps to address the harm it causes to our communities. As we have said many times before, the counterfeit industry is not a victimless crime.
"Safety standards are in place for a reason and we do not want to see the severe injury, or even death of a child to underline just how important they are. I want to thank our officers in our Trading Standards and Legal teams for securing this great result.”
BTHA (British Toy & Hobby Association) is an organization that helps aspects of product design, toy safety, and ethical manufacturing, have given advice too look out for counterfeit toys:
'To spot a counterfeit, look out for a product that is cheaper than normal, know who owns the brand and look for their name on the packaging, look for phrases like “compatible with (brand name)”, these are often made to look like the original but will not be genuine.
'Be careful of going for the lowest price - if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. The price could be lower due to a number of factors:
'Counterfeit product - not made to the same standards as the original and will be illegal for sale in the UK and may also have the issues below'
'Cheaper material and design that is less durable or unsafe, e.g., high levels of restricted chemicals.'
If you believe a toy is counterfeit, it's best to leave a review to warn other shoppers and to talk too your local Trading Standards.
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