A WARNING has gone out to parents who may have bought counterfeit “Teletubbies.”The warning comes from Norfolk County Council Trading Standards officers who found after tests that the toys contained potentially dangerous levels of lead and chromium.

A WARNING has gone out to parents who may have bought counterfeit “Teletubbies.”

The warning comes from Norfolk County Council Trading Standards officers who found after tests that the toys contained potentially dangerous levels of lead and chromium.

Head of Norfolk Trading Standards David Collinson said: “The toys were seized from Snetterton and Norwich markets, but they may also have been purchased elsewhere. With recently received toxicology reports showing that their paint contains levels of lead and chromium above the legal limit, with one toy found to have over ten times the amount of lead than legally allowed.”

Trading Standards officers have taken the stock off sale and are currently investigating the supply, but are recommending any parent who believes they may have purchased one of the toys to dispose of them immediately.

The toys in question cost less than £4.99, which is less than genuine Tellytubbies products. The specific toys raising concerns are:

A teletubby shaped character sitting on a tri-cycle. It comes in red, blue, yellow, and green colours with the figure the same colour as the tricycle. It is designed to be pushed by hand by a child.

It is packaged in a multi-coloured box with a transparent window, with “Happy Cartoon” written on the packaging.

Another one is a crawling teletubby shaped character with a torch light built into its stomach.

It comes in the same colours. A third on is a teletubby themed train set also with the same colours as the other two.

Mr Collins added: “Toy manufacturers in the UK and US have been recalling millions of toys due to lead and chromium concerns since 2004. Producers of illegal counterfeit toys will of course not do this, but my officers carry out extensive testing of toys and other goods as part of their routine work to detect and remove unsafe products from sale.

“We would always advise parents buying toys for children to look for the CE Mark. The Lion Mark, which is also found on some packaging, should mean it is made by a member of the British Toy and Hobby Association and shows that it meets current safety standards and that the age rating is the safe age for the child to use the toy.”

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