700 Halloween outfits and toys seized over safety fears
SAFETY officials at Dublin Port yesterday seized a batch of 700 Halloween costumes and accessories which they destroyed over safety concerns.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission confiscated the products as they ‘did not meet EU safety standards and therefore were not safe for Irish consumers’.
Most of the products seized were children’s costume accessories including ‘Ninja Weapon’ play sets, ‘Weapon Fights’ sets, and ‘Pirates Adventure’ sets.
The CCPC said it confiscates products for a number of reasons including a product not having an official product safety CE mark, non-compliant or fake CE marks, no ‘small parts’ warning, as well as containing small detachable parts which may pose a choke hazard.
However, it could not give specific information about the dangers posed by the seized items.
This comes following warnings in recent years that some children’s Halloween costumes on sale can catch fire in just three seconds. In 2014, Strictly Come Dancing presenter Claudia Winkleman’s daughter Matilda was treated for serious burns when her supermarket-bought witch costume went up in flames.
Matilda was engulfed in a fireball and had to undergo plastic surgery on her burns after her cape caught on a lit candle and when she was out trick or treating. Mrs Winkleman said: ‘It was really fast... it wasn’t fire like I’d seen.’
The National Standards Authority of Ireland advises parents to check for a CE safety marking and flame-resistant label when shopping for Halloween costumes and accessories.
CCPC spokesperson Áine Carroll said: ‘Our aim is to ensure that goods placed on the Irish market do not pose a safety risk to consumers. These items did not meet required safety standards and so we took the necessary steps to ensure that consumers in Ireland were not put at risk... If you see a product that seems unsafe and if it doesn’t have a CE Mark don’t buy it. Instead, contact us through our website www.ccpc.ie with the details of product and where you saw it.’