Last week Trading Standards officials made an alarming discovery of fake Angelina Jolie “Maleficent” dolls at Coventry Airport that could potentially kill young children.
The 60 dolls containing phthalates, chemicals that have been linked to cancer, asthma, birth defects and infertility in men, have since been destroyed by Border Force and Warwickshire County Council officials.
Consumer watchdogs and Trading Standards warned parents in the local area about the contaminated shipment, urging them to buy their Christmas gifts from reputable sources and to be wary of heavily discounted products.
Councillor Phillip Johnson, chair of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee commented that; “We will continue to work with Border Force and other agencies to stop dangerous products from reaching our shop shelves and protect the public.”
Local business owners have also been encouraged to reconsider importing stock from outside the EU where, as Councillor John Horner explains, “consumers do not get the same levels of protection UK shoppers expect and receive, and products we consider dangerous are regularly manufactured and sold.”
