Leicestershire Trading Standards has intercepted and seized almost 440,000 potentially dangerous items at East Midlands Airport in the past year with a combined value of more than £15.3m.
The items seized include electrical goods which pose a fire risk, toys that fail to meet safety standards, cosmetics containing toxic substances, and jewellery containing high levels of hazardous metals.
Most of the seized items were destined for sale on online marketplaces, ultimately to end up in people’s homes and endanger the safety of families around the country.
Leicestershire Trading Standards works in an intelligence-led partnership with the UK Border Force as part of a nationally-funded project at East Midlands Airport.
East Midlands Airport is the UK’s second busiest cargo airport, handling more than 320,000 tonnes of flown cargo each year. The items seized have been sent to specialist firms for recycling.
Councillor Deborah Taylor, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for regulatory services, said: “Our Trading Standards team, in partnership with Border Force, carries out vital work which protects consumers in Leicestershire and the wider UK as it ensures that unsafe goods do not make their way into the supply chain.
“All these products which have been seized either present a danger to the public, or are substandard, so it is crucial that they are intercepted and either made safe or sent for recycling.”
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