Brexit: UK risks being flooded with dangerous products after leaving EU, experts warn

Government should agree to continue to share early warning information about unsafe items, consumer group says

Ben Chapman
Monday 15 April 2019 11:30 BST
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Unsafe car seats, faulty carbon monoxide detectors and toxic toy slime have all been uncovered over the past year
Unsafe car seats, faulty carbon monoxide detectors and toxic toy slime have all been uncovered over the past year

The UK could be flooded with dangerous toys, cars and electrical appliances after Brexit unless the government acts to keep EU safety standards in place, Which? has warned.

Last year, the “Safety Gate” rapid warning system flagged thousands of products across the continent with serious problems. The number of serious safety problems highlighted by Safety Gate has jumped by more than a third in the past decade from 1,542 in 2008 to 2,064 in 2018.

After Brexit, UK authorities could face crucial delays in receiving information about unsafe products, unless an agreement is reached with the EU.

The UK would no longer have access to intelligence-sharing networks like the Safety Gate early warning system, meaning it would have to rely on its own domestic setup or wait until the European alerts are made public.

Delays could pile further pressure on a domestic warning system that is already “crying out for reform”, Which? said.

Dangerous products including unsafe car seats, faulty carbon monoxide detectors and toxic toy slime have all been uncovered over the past year.

The consumer group warned that the current UK system is far too reliant on local-authority trading standards which have become increasingly overstretched thanks to funding cuts.

Trading standards are ultimately responsible for ensuring that unsafe products are taken off the shelves, out of people’s homes and stopped from entering the country, a job that is likely to become more difficult if information-sharing with EU member states is hampered after Brexit.

Which? is urging the government to European alert systems, and to build better intelligence-sharing systems with countries outside the EU.

Safety Gate picked up 655 problems with motor vehicles last year, more than any other product category. More than 200 clothing and textiles items were flagged, along with 176 electrical appliances and 121 products classified as cosmetics.

In total, 180 products were listed as a fire risk, 248 an electric shock threat and 397 a choke hazard last year.

Already in 2019 recall notices have been issued for HP laptop batteries that pose a fire risk, explosive Honda airbags and a flammable children’s Star Wars Stormtrooper outfit.

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Caroline Normand, Which? director of advocacy, said: “With more products than ever before being declared unsafe, it’s clear that an already failing consumer enforcement system needs a major shake-up to ensure that people aren’t left at risk from dangerous products in their homes.

“If it is to make people’s safety the number one priority, the government must secure access to the European alert and information sharing systems after Brexit, as well as introduce major domestic reforms to ensure consumers are properly protected from unsafe products.”

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