Port of Dover: 'Dangerous' handmade toys seized

Buttons on some of the toys posed a choking hazard, officials said

A consignment of dangerous handmade toys has been seized at a port, Trading Standards officials said.

The goods from Turkey were stopped in a lorry at the Port of Dover in Kent en route to London.

The shipment included soft toys with loose eyes and fabric for facial features that could easily be pulled off, swallowed and cause choking.

More than 200 wooden craft boxes were also found with nails sticking out of rough wood.

The absence of textile labelling showed the toys had not undergone safety checks and the packaging did not have the required suffocation warning, according to Trading Standards officials.

Kent Trading Standards operations manager Jim Whiddett said: "There are strict rules in place in the UK to ensure children's toys are safe.

"Failing to meet those standards puts young lives in danger."

Councillor Mike Hill, of Kent County Council, said every day about 40 under-5s are admitted to hospital after choking on something, or swallowing something dangerous.

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