logo
West Lothian Council's Trading Standards team reissue warning over Labubu dolls

West Lothian Council's Trading Standards team reissue warning over Labubu dolls

Daily Record3 days ago
Trading Standards have seized further counterfeit Popmart Labubu dolls from stores in West Lothian with all of them failing to comply with the Toys Safety Regulations 2011 and presenting a serious risk of harm.
West Lothian Councils Trading Standards have issued a further warning customers to take care when buying the latest craze of Labubu dolls.

Trading Standards have seized further counterfeit Popmart Labubu dolls from stores in West Lothian with all of them failing to comply with the Toys Safety Regulations 2011 and presenting a serious risk of harm.

Product Safety Notices for a product recall have been issued to all traders that have been identified as selling these unsafe Labubu dolls.

A council spokesperson said: 'Product Safety Notices for a product recall have been issued to all traders that have been identified as selling these unsafe Labubu dolls.
'If you or your child have bought one of these products from a West Lothian trader, you should return the item for a full refund or dispose of the item, as the dolls pose a serious safety risk to children due to easily detachable parts that are a chocking hazard.
Trading Standards advise parents to check goods and packaging carefully. All toys should be marked with the CE or UKCA mark for safety as well as details of the UK importer.

'They are also advised to buy from reputable sellers and check the price. The genuine products are very scarce and therefore expensive. If a product is cheaper than you'd expect it's likely to be fake.'
Trading Standards encourage consumers to take these simple but important steps to ensure the toys and products they purchase are safe and compliant with regulations.
These include inspecting packaging carefully; buy from trusted retailers and be cautious of bargains. Extremely cheap products may not meet required safety standards.

Trading Standards remains committed to protecting consumers and ensuring that only safe, compliant goods are available in the marketplace.
Anyone concerned about the safety of toys they've purchased is advised to get in touch with us via Consumer Advice Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or online via their website at https://consumeradvice.scot/contact/ or West Lothian Trading Standards Trading.Standards@westlothian.gov.uk
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Illegal cigarettes and vapes found stashed in Leeds shop
Illegal cigarettes and vapes found stashed in Leeds shop

BBC News

time12 hours ago

  • BBC News

Illegal cigarettes and vapes found stashed in Leeds shop

A Leeds city centre shop has been ordered to close for six weeks after illegal cigarettes and vapes worth £5,000 were Local on Duncan Street has also lost its licence after the vapes and cigarettes were found stashed behind a false wall inside the City Council was granted a Premises Closure Order this week, forcing the shop to close until 25 Edel Fox from West Yorkshire Police said the business "had been a magnet for antisocial behaviour and nuisance". Linda Davis of West Yorkshire Trading Standards said the operation had "taken a significant amount of illicit tobacco and vapes off the streets"."Far from being a victimless crime, the illegal trade in tobacco costs government millions each year in lost revenue, makes it easier for children to start smoking, takes advantage of cash-strapped families, and helps fund organised crime." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

I'm losing my mind over Labubu dolls – and the fake Lafufu
I'm losing my mind over Labubu dolls – and the fake Lafufu

The Independent

timea day ago

  • The Independent

I'm losing my mind over Labubu dolls – and the fake Lafufu

'Can I have a Labubu – pleassssse, mum?' This is all I hear day in, day out from my young children. Call these gremlin keychain dolls that adults actually hang off their Miu Miu and Birkin bags ugly or cute – even demonic, as is claimed by conspiracy theorists on TikTok – I don't care. All I know is I can't get my hands on one. That's because they are a global sensation – and demand is so high they sell out in seconds. Pop Mart, the Chinese company behind the Labubu doll, reported this week that it expects at least a 350 per cent increase in profit for the first six months of 2025, as revenues more than tripled, no doubt helped by the fact Labubus became a popular fashion accessory earlier this year among celebrities including Dua Lipa and Rihanna – before trickling down to the rest of us. But now, as the Labubu craze sweeps through primary schools, misguided mums like me are blindly rushing to buy these toys with furry bodies, wide prominent eyes and a toothy grin. I unknowingly bought two fake ones – otherwise known as a Lafufu – at my local mini supermarket for £10 each. But they fell apart, a common issue apparently, according to local authorities across the UK and Europe, who are warning against it due to choking hazards and toxic chemicals – and confiscating counterfeit products in bulk. This week's haul includes 32 keyrings and 95 boxes of counterfeit Labubus seized from the Pontypridd area in Wales. And according to the BBC, more than 370 of the dolls were confiscated in North Ayrshire, Scotland recently due to safety concerns. Rochdale Borough Council sent a toy safety alert on Facebook this month alongside a photo of a fake Labubu doll. In my case, we bought the Monsters Big into Energy Vinyl Plush Blind Box – albeit fake. But a day later the eye fell out of my seven-year-old Liberty's purple 'Labubu' known as Luck, and then the red one that Lola, nine, got, called Love, had 10 teeth not nine, and she was teased at school for having the wrong one. But it turns out these problems are the tip of the iceberg. I'm now losing my mind over Labubu dolls – and Lafufus. A dad friend replaced our fraggled Lafufus at a hardware store in London's North End Road – naively believing they were the real thing. But they also disintegrated. As I fell deeper into the Labubu universe, I worked out how to tell the difference between a real and a fake. Mainly, it's the presence of a QR code on the back of the packaging, which should take you to the official Pop Mart website. So traumatised were the kids by now that I googled how to buy them real ones from Pop Mart – the only place to buy them direct, or on Amazon from their online shop. But it's near impossible to get one. Demand for Labubus is so high, rare dolls are being resold for £1,500 each – some online cost from about £54.99 to £99, but you can't be sure they are real. Next, I ended up marching the kids to a Pop Mart store in a Westfield shopping centre, but to our absolute horror, there was not one plush toy Labubu to be seen on any shelf. Pop Mart temporarily halted in-store sales of Labubu dolls in its UK stores earlier this year to address safety concerns arising from the high demand and resulting pandemonium by obsessed customers during restock. Clearly this situation has not changed. I walked up to the cash till, with both my children, who I have to embarrassingly admit were now sobbing, and asked how on earth this could be possible. No Labubus? I was then told the only way to buy a Labubu was to enter a live launch draw for free. It felt like applying for a mortgage as I signed up for a chance to purchase one for £17.50 from the Monsters Big into Energy Series - Vinyl Plush Pendant Blind Box by manically adding in tons of details before the cut off in a few hours. I was advised to request more than one Labubu to increase the likelihood of winning it. I could always cancel extra ones at the point of purchase – I requested the maximum total of six dolls. We waited until Monday morning for the results, but we didn't make it through. My children, by this point, were floored by not having a Labubu. On every street corner, Labubus started to haunt us. As we went to a children's ballet with Lola's class four friends in Piccadilly Circus, they ran over to street vendors selling gruesome fakes for £15 begging me to buy them. 'They are real, mum, look!' Other mums would call me from near Selfridges claiming to have found originals for around £60 – but I wanted to be sure I got the real deal. The silver lining is that – according to Pop Mart – I'll have a better chance of winning next time. 'You missed out this time, so your EQLizer has increased,' I'm told. God alone knows when the next live launch is. It's now an obsession – logging in and checking twice daily so I can apply. Every day, my children ask me if I'm getting anywhere. I feel a sense of failure. Their friend got one in Finland – can we go there? A Labubu feels so near, yet so far away. I have lost all perspective. I don't even get why people like them. It's taking over my waking day. It's ironic that the Labubus my children want are called Love, Happiness, Loyalty, Serenity, Hope and Luck – since getting one is such a horror show. But I hope we get a rare one, and I hit the jackpot. Then I can sell it for a fortune on eBay.

Illegal cigarettes and vapes worth £100k seized in Preston
Illegal cigarettes and vapes worth £100k seized in Preston

BBC News

time2 days ago

  • BBC News

Illegal cigarettes and vapes worth £100k seized in Preston

More than £100,000 worth of illegal cigarettes and vapes have been seized as part of an operation to tackle serious and organised Trading Standards and HM Revenue and Customs officers raided five storage units around the Ribbleton and Deepdale areas of Preston, one of the units, illegal vapes worth about £5,000 were seized, in another, 171,000 packs of illegal cigarettes were found, which, if sold as genuine, would be worth about £100,000, Lancashire Police force said the cigarettes and vapes could "contain harmful chemicals" which could lead to people becoming "very unwell". Insp Dave Byrne said it was a "successful operation" which had meant the items were "taken off the streets and are no longer at risk of getting into the hands of children"."We have unfortunately seen cases where people have become very unwell, sometimes even hospitalised, due to the use of illegal vapes so we will continue to work with our partners to ensure they are not able to cause harm," he Roberts of Lancashire County Council, said: "It is very important that we take the strongest possible action against firms who put the health of Lancashire's residents at risk." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store