Three in 10 Christmas lights sets show 'safety risk'

CONSUMERS HAVE been warned to exercise caution when buying Christmas lights after an EU survey found that as many as three in every 10 products on the market present “serious” safety risks.

Urging consumers to be careful when selecting decorations, outgoing consumer affairs commissioner Meglena Kuneva said there was a substantial risk of electrocution or fire from many products.

“If we are going to keep the lights on at Christmas, consumers need to be confident that there are no compromises on safety. Consumers want value for money and choice when they shop around at Christmas but never at the expense of safety,” she said.

“This report is a wake-up call. National authorities and industry will redouble efforts to crack down on the gaps and loopholes that can let shoddy goods into shops and our homes. But consumers also need to work to minimise safety risks.” Ms Kuneva’s report follows a market surveillance involving the European Commission and the authorities in Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Netherlands. The work was carried out between 2007 and May 2009.

While Ms Kuneva does not name the producers of risky lighting, many of the products assessed carried no manufacturer information at all. Her office said consumers should buy Christmas lights from “reputable dealers”, where basic safety standards should be assured. Consumers were told to switch off Christmas lights when they leave the house and whenever people are asleep.

Consumers should not “take a chance” if they suspect any kind of electrical or mechanical problem with new lights or lighting chains they have already used. “Serious non-compliance problems with local standards leading to an increased risk of electric shock, fire hazard or both were found in 30.4 per cent of investigated lighting chains,” the report said.

“Generally, serious non-compliance problems mean failing technical safety requirements relating to the construction of, for example: plugs, cord anchorages, wiring, insulation, protection against electric shock.

“Other deficiencies which do not immediately jeopardise the safety of the user were found in an additional 40 per cent of lighting chains.