Parents warned after illegal ‘killer car seats’ found to be on sale on eBay
Dangerous fabric seats from China and Taiwan were found to be on the online auction site for as little as £8.99
PARENTS are being warned not to put their children's lives at risk by buying "killer car seats" online this Christmas.
Dangerous fabric chairs that offer no protection in the event of a crash are on sale for as little as £8.99 on online auction site eBay, an investigation by consumer group Which? revealed.
Some of the listings claim that the dodgy seats - many which are shipped from China and Taiwan - can be used to "protect your baby when driving" - sparking fears that hard-up families could be tempted to pick-one up on the cheap before Christmas.
The online auction site has now removed the chairs from sale, but Which? says it has already found some more of the seats available to buy today.
The danger of fabric seats first came to light in 2014, when Surrey Trading Standards and manufacturer Britax showed a fabric seat falling to pieces in a 30mph crash, with the straps failing and the test dummy thrown from the windscreen.
Trading Standards then removed dozens of the chairs - dubbed "killer car seats" - from sale but it seems the problems hasn't been fully solved.
Only EU-approved seats can be used in the UK - so ones shipped over from Taiwan or China are illegal to use and could lead to a potential fatality if used.
Alex Neill, of Which? said: “It’s shocking that these so-called 'killer car seats' are still available for people to buy.
"Families or parents with young children should not buy one.
"This once again shows that the UK’s product safety regime is simply not fit-for-purpose and the Government can no longer continue to allow it to fail."
A spokesperson for eBay said: "The safety of our customers is our number one priority and we work closely with trading standards to keep our marketplace safe.
"We have removed these items and will continue to monitor any listings."
Earlier this month, parents were warned that wearing a winter coat could put their child's life at risk.
Experts said that extra layers of clothing could potentially create a gap between a youngster's body and the seat belt.
Five tips for buying a safe car seat
Getting the right car seat can save your child's life. Here's are Which?'s top five tips for getting a good quality one.
1. Never buy a second-hand car seat as you can't tell whether it has been in any crashes just by looking at it.
2. Buy your seat from a retailer who can give you advice about the best one to buy and help you fit it correctly into your car.
3. Check the car seat has an ECE or i-Size label that shows it is legal to be sold on the UK market.
4. The instructions should be written in English, clear and make sense - spelling mistakes and poor grammar could be signs that the sear is a fake.
5. Don't be tempted by a cheap price - if the price looks to good to be true, it probably is.
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