TRADING Standards officers in Swindon have issued a warning to parents after receiving a report that illegal and potentially dangerous dummy clips are being sold in the town.

The devices are made from ribbon and small decorative beads. They are designed to attach a dummy to a child’s clothing so that it does not fall on the floor.

The dummy clips tend to be made as a cottage industry to be sold via Facebook and at craft fairs and coffee mornings.

Similar products have been tested by Trading Standards Officers in other parts of the country and have failed for a number of reasons, including having no ventilation holes, failing to meet impact resistance tests and presenting a choke hazard due to the small size of the beads.

Trading Standards officers are now working to identify the sellers of these items in order to check they comply with safety rules and remove any that do not meet these standards from sale.

Traders who have the product on sale are warned to remove them and to contact Swindon Trading Standards immediately.

Phil Thomas, the head of Public Protection and StreetSmart at Swindon Borough Council, said: “Tests in other parts of the country have shown these hand-made products do not meet essential safety standards and are not safe to be used anywhere near children.

“I would urge any members of the public who have bought these hand-made dummy clips for their children to stop using them immediately.”

Consumers concerned about dummy clips they have purchased should contact the Citizens’ Advice consumer service on 08454 040506.

Any business selling dummy clips should call Swindon Trading Standards on 01793 466155.