Council warning after unsafe baby toys and teethers sold across North Yorkshire

A ninja dummy clip, a wooden rattle ring and a pram mobile were all deemed unsafe following investigations by North Yorkshire County Council's Trading Standards.

The items were sold to a Ryedale-based retailer by Emily Sunderland and her company Nibbling Jewellery Ltd.

Concerns about the items were raised by the retailer of the baby products and Trading Standards were contacted.

Officers made test purchases of all three products and found all three items were unsafe.

The ninja dummy clip posed an asphyxiation hazard, a strangulation hazard and a choking hazard to young children. Geometric shapes on both the rattle ring and the pram mobile presented what is known as an impaction hazard should a child who is too young to sit up unaided fall or roll onto them. Products did not bear the correct information on their labels.

Sunderland pleaded guilty to offences under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 and the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.

In her mitigation, Sunderland told the court that only five dummy clips had been sold.

Sentencing her to a community order with 250 hours of unpaid work, and fining London-based Nibbling Jewellery Ltd £1,000 with a costs order of £4,485, His Honour Judge Sean Morris told her that “it only takes one to kill a child”.

County Councillor Andrew Lee, Executive member for Trading Standards, said: “Our trading standards officers are happy to work with businesses to help them ensure that their products are compliant with regulations.

"However, where there is no willingness to ensure that products are safe we reluctantly have to take more formal action.

"Babies cannot protect themselves if items they are using are unsafe and I am pleased that the sentence passed by the court recognises that fact.”