Published on:
14
June 2017
Around 14,000 unsafe electrical products have been seized from a warehouse in Alloa and will now be destroyed, following action taken by Clackmannanshire Trading Standards Service.
A forfeiture order has now been granted for the products, which included Christmas lights, UV nail bars and light bulbs, which were discovered by Trading Standards after complaints were received about the safety of the products. All products were found to be in breach of safety labelling requirements, and a variety of problems were found which included having the wrong size of fuse fitted posing a fire risk and live wires being exposed which could result in electrocution.
The products were seized for evidence however there was no legal representative based within the EU therefore Trading Standards were unable to prosecute. A forfeiture order was applied for at Alloa Sherriff Court and granted on 26 April 2017 and now that the appeal period has passed the items will be destroyed.
Cllr Les Sharp, Leader of Clackmannanshire Council said: "I'm really pleased to see that thanks to this investigation and action by Trading Standards Officers, these dangerous consumer products will be destroyed. This protects unsuspecting consumers from purchasing items which have a very real risk of causing fire and serious injury. If anyone has concerns about the safety of products, they can contact Trading Standards for advice and help."
Paul Bannister, Consumer Product Safety Lead for the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) said: "This was a difficult investigation where the owners of the goods had no legal or physical presence in the EU, and hence 'no controlling mind' to pursue. The Trading Standards officers involved in the investigation are to be commended for their diligence, commitment and perseverance, which ensured that these dangerous goods were removed from the market place before they could jeopardise the health and safety of members of the public. The work of local authority Trading Standards in protecting the health and wellbeing of consumers is effectively demonstrated by this type of enforcement action."
Trading Standards can be contacted by email on tradingstandards@clacks.gov.uk or by calling 01786 443322.