Toxic toy on sale for £1 in Smethwick discount shop

Now the owners of Premier Discount in Cape Hill have been fined £2,000 for selling the £1 Girl Fashion toy containing a form of the highly dangerous chemical phthalates, which experts say can lead to an increased risk of cancer as well as other health hazards.

Tests on the doll, a plastic girl with blonde hair in a pink, flowery dress, found it contained 500 times more of the hazardous phthalate DEHP than is legally allowed in plastic products due to risks to children.

Phthalates are used to soften plastics but toy manufacturers are restricted to using only 0.1 per cent of the chemical as it can be absorbed by children if they chew toys. The doll on sale in Smethwick contained 54 per cent. As well as a heightened risk of cancer, evidence has shown that phthalates can lead to damage to the reproductive system and asthma.

GS Enterprises (Midlands) Limited, which owns the shop, was prosecuted after the doll was purchased by trading standards officers during a sting in November 2014. The sample was purchased as part of a project by a number of trading standards teams.

Officers said they had 'no knowledge' whether any of the dolls were sold to the public.

In addition to the chemicals breach, the doll's packaging did not bear any importer or manufacturer details, which is also an offence.

Company bosses were unable to show where they had bought the dangerous doll from when quizzed by investigators. The company was fined £1,000 for both offences after pleading guilty at Sandwell Magistrates' Court and ordered to pay an additional £1,030 in court costs.

Bob Charnley, trading standards manager for Sandwell Council said: "The company should have known that the doll was not legal to sell because it was not marked with the details of the manufacturer or importer.

"To make matters worse for the company its records were inadequate and it was unable to show who it had purchased the doll from. It therefore bore sole responsibility for the offences at issue. This shows how important it is for businesses to obtain and keep proper records."

Sandwell Council leader Councillor Darren Cooper said: "This was an extremely serious matter. Sandwell Council will not hesitate to prosecute in circumstances such this in order to protect young children from harm."

Saranjit Sapra, secretary of Premier Discount, said: "I feel the charge we were given from the council was unfair but I do not want to comment any further."