Warning as teddy bear electric cord found wrapped round child’s neck
TRADING standards officers have issued a warning to parents after a toddler was discovered with electrical wiring from a teddy bear wrapped around her neck.
Moray Council said the child’s parents bought the two light-up teddies from an online marketplace.
The child’s parents placed one of the cuddly toys they had purchased from the internet in her crib.
But the mother then found her daughter had opened the zip on the back of one of the toys and exposed a length of electrical cord that caused the incident.
The girl had also removed a significant quantity of loose stuffing from inside the bear and placed it in her mouth, which could have resulted in her choking.
Local Trading Standards officers said the teddies are among the worst examples of unsafe toys that they have come across.
An inspection of the toys by trading standards officers found the electrical wiring and attached lights were easily accessible and were a strangulation hazard.
Similarly, no protection was in place to prevent the choking hazard and the toys also contained numerous other small parts which could potentially have caused a child to choke.
Trading Standards officers at Moray Council described the toy – bought on wish.com – as “one of the worst examples of unsafe toys” they had ever witnessed.
A spokesman said: “An urgent warning has been issued over potentially lethal soft toys available online after a Moray toddler was found with electrical wiring from a teddy bear wrapped round her neck.”
Moray Council trading standards manager, Peter Adamson, said his staff were shocked at how dangerous the toys were.
He said: “Protecting children from dangerous toys is one of our highest priorities and it was shocking when these teddy bears were brought to our notice.
“It would appear that because the toys were bought direct online, they had evaded all of the normal checks that would normally take place when goods are imported into the EU and the UK.
“Fortunately, in this instance no harm came to the child, but we need to warn potential purchasers of the risks they take when buying toys for young children from suppliers who cut corners.”