Sex dolls, cosmetics and toy guns seized at border

A children's toy gun was seized by Trading Standards because it sparks when the trigger is pulled

Electrical sex dolls, "concerning" injectable cosmetics and dangerous sparking toy guns are just some of the products seized in Kent through international shipping routes.

Kent Trading Standards officers have intercepted the items at key entry points including the Port of Dover, Sheerness Docks, the Channel Tunnel and an international parcel hub in Dartford.

Mike Johnson, imports compliance manager, said some dangerous and non-compliant products still end up on shelves because they "haven't got the staff".

The government said it has given Kent County Council a 7% cash increase this year.

Kent Trading Standards check the documents of lorry drivers entering the Port of Dover

Warning, this article contains a graphic image of a burn injury.

BBC South East was granted exclusive access to inspections at Dover and Dartford where, in one case, a package containing £3,000 worth of facial cosmetic injections claiming to be a skin booster was discovered.

Trading Standards officer Beth Bushell said the consignment was "concerning" because there were no instructions on how to use the product.

Other seized items include sparking toy guns, illegal vapes, unsafe teeth whitening kits, non-compliant electrical plugs and electronic sex dolls that warm up.

Ms Bushell said the non-compliant dolls did not make it to the buyer.

"Sometimes there can be hidden gems, things alongside packages that would be a concern for us.

"You don't know what you've got until you look at it, sometimes the paperwork isn't quite right", she added.

Beth Bushell said some importers are unaware of the correct documents needed

The initial referral of consignments to Trading Standards comes from Border Force.

Trading Standards will look at parcels containing items such as electricals, toys, cosmetics, e-scooters and vapes.

A family from the Isle of Sheppey is warning others to be careful when ordering products online after their daughter suffered serious injuries.

Chloe Norris, 13, had to be treated by a specialist burns unit at East Grinstead after acrylic nail glue her parents bought from Chinese website Temu gave her third-degree burns and resulted in her needing skin grafts on both hands.

Her mum Stacey Norris assumed the product was regulated and had been tested.

Chloe is still suffering from the injuries she sustained in 2023 - she has no feeling in the affected areas a year on from surgery.

Chloe says she had to use an iPad at school because she was unable to write

She said: "The pain was really shocking and i'd never had that kind of pain before.

"You should really be careful with what you order on the internet, especially cosmetics."

Stacey said: "It doesn't matter if you're six, 16, 36 or 60, this should not happen to anybody.

"It's devastating, i've noticed it affects her more now that she's a bit older, she will cross her scars out of pictures, it's very sad."

Temu did not make the glue, which was offered for sale on the site by a third party vendor, and it is no longer sold on the site.

The online marketplace said: "We take product safety seriously and require all sellers on our platform to comply with relevant regulations.

"The item in question, which carried a warning to keep away from children, was removed from our platform before Chloe's parents contacted us and remains unavailable for sale today."

Chloe suffered third-degree burns from nail glue bought from China

Jason Chappell, a ports import compliance officer, said the aim is to keep consumers safe and remove unsafe or illegal products.

"It's not just about a lorry coming into the country," he said.

"It's about the 50,000 products that could be on that lorry - that's 50,000 potential injuries to a human or the public that could be stopped in one go."

Of around 10,000 lorries which enter the country through the Port of Dover, the team checks up to 30 a day.

A similar number of parcels are inspected in a day at Dartford's international parcel hub.

Mike Johnson, imports compliance manager, said: "We do what we can with the staff we've got but there is stuff getting through because it ends up on shelves and we haven't got the staff to check every vehicle."

He added they have to get the "fine balance" to ensure the traffic continues to flow at the Port of Dover while they check freight.

Trading Standards officer Jason Chappell says lack of detail on paperwork is a red flag

A government spokesperson said: "Councils are responsible for funding trading standards but we recognise the challenges they face, which is why we have confirmed over £69bn of funding for local authorities this year, including £1.5bn for Kent County Council - a 7% cash increase.

"At a national level we support Trading Standards with intelligence and testing, and the Office for Product Safety and Standards is available to provide direct funding for specific problems at ports and borders."