Thousands of consumer items refused entry at port

Christmas consumers have been warned to be wary of unsafe products after 349,000 items were refused entry at a UK port this year.

Suffolk Trading Standards has intercepted thousands of items at the Port of Felixstowe since January.

The seizures included hundreds of unsafe air-fryers, fan heaters, wall chargers as well as fake products.

Graham Crisp, head of Suffolk Trading Standards, urged the public to "be on the lookout" for unsafe goods.

"The Port of Felixstowe is a huge gateway to the UK and our officers work extremely hard to intercept these dangerous items before they reach the marketplace," he said.

"However unsafe goods can still slip through and I urge the public to be on the lookout for them and to let us know as soon as they come across them."

At the port, 74,565 toys were seized as well as104,983 electrical goods and 8,965 e-scooters.

Officers also detained 500 counterfeit "Dyson" hair dryers and during testing they were were at risk of electrical shock and fire .

The counterfeit product overheated, did not cut off and started to smoke with external and internal parts melting.

Steve Wiles, cabinet member for public protection at Suffolk County Council, said: "The numbers of items intercepted reflects the need for people to be vigilant about what exactly they are buying, particularly online."

Signs a product may be unsafe or dangerous include a faulty wire, misleading or poorly spelled labels and unclear instructions and/or an absence of safety markings.

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