Product liability news

Parents warned against buying dangerous toys.

Christmas is still weeks away but already the lights are up and the shops have started playing those same old cheesy crimbo tunes.

And if you've got children no doubt you've already been handed a list as long as your arm of all the things your little darlings want from good old Santa Claus this year. At the top of the list will probably be something that every other kid on earth is demanding this year and so, despite you searching every toy shop from here to Timbuktu, the chances are that they'll have to settle for number two of three.

Unless you decide to do what numerous parents all across the world do every year and take a trip to the market or some dodgy backstreet shop to try and get a cheap replica. You'll probably get one as well; thousands will have been imported from third world factories but they won't have passed the strict British tests that guarantee their safety.

That means that by buying a cheap fake you could be exposing your child to the very real risk of suffering a personal injury. Not what you want on Christmas Day, or on any day for that matter.

It might sound like an overreaction but nothing could be further from the truth. Every year thousands of parents make product liability compensation claims because of faulty toys that have seriously injured their children.

They're often produced using inferior components and that means battery operated toys have a tendency to malfunction and could catch fire or cause electrocution. Cheap parts are also likely to break and expose sharp edges which youngsters could cut themselves on.

If you want to avoid your child suffering an unnecessary personal injury and the possibility of having to make a product liability claim for personal injury compensation this Christmas, it's best to ensure that any toy you buy has passed certain safety tests and displays the CE mark.

And just in case you were wondering which toy is guaranteed to make your sprog the envy of the playground this year, here are the UK's most sought after:

1. Pixel Chix Mall
2. Trivial Pursuit 90s
3. Baby Born with Magic Eyes
4. Dr. Who Cyberman Mask
5. Lightning McQueen
6. Deal Or No Deal
7. Bratz Forever Diamonds
8. Let's Dance Barbie
9. Thomas Aquadraw
10. PaperFX Dream Weaver
11. V Smile Baby
12. Tamagotchi Connexion