THURROCK Council leader Rob Gledhill has paid tribute to the work of the authority's trading standards team whose work at borough ports has netted a huge haul of dangerous and non-compliant products.

The team work across the Port of Tilbury, DP World London Gateway and other storage sites in Thurrock to identify, assess and confiscate that could put shoppers in harm's way.

Over a 12-month period, from April 2019 and April 2020, the team intercepted unsafe products, such as toys, cosmetics, jewellery and electrical items. Consignments included a delivery of baby cot beds that did not comply with the latest structural standards; and 28,375 pots of children's toy slime which was designed to look like a tub of ice cream but was a choking hazard and unsafe after tests found that the presence of lead was above the allowed level.

Cllr Gledhill said: "Thurrock is the gateway for the world and our officers potentially protect millions from harm or serious injury. These dangerous items could have found their way onto the consumer market and into the hands of our unsuspecting children."

For more information on Trading Standards, click here or to report any unsafe items call 0808 223 1133.