Dangerous Christmas lights listed for sale online, Which? finds

Illegal and dangerous Christmas lights have been listed for sale on online marketplaces including Amazon and eBay, according to Which?

Testing by the consumer group on lights from four retailers found 10 out of 12 sets failed to meet UK electrical equipment safety regulations.

All the lights tested were purchased online and cost £15 or less.

Both Amazon and eBay have said they take safety seriously and have removed the items from their websites.

Two sets from both retailers failed compliance checks. They were missing key markings or failed to come with instructions.

Which? also tested items from online retailers AliExpress and Wish - both companies said they had also removed the products found to be illegal for sale.

The consumer group is calling for online marketplaces to be forced to take legal responsibility to stop illegal products from being sold.

Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy at Which? said cheap Christmas lights might be tempting amid the cost-of-living crisis - but consumers could be "putting themselves in danger" because online marketplaces are "failing to take safety seriously".

"The government must make online marketplaces legally responsible for dangerous and illegal products sold through their sites so that people are better protected," she said.

An eBay spokesperson told the consumer group: "We take the safety of our users very seriously, and we have removed the listings that Which? flagged to us.

"Our close working relationships with stakeholders and regulators are an important part of our global product safety strategy for keeping our platform safe."

An Amazon spokesperson told Which?: "Safety is a top priority at Amazon and we require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws and regulations.

"We have proactive measures in place to prevent non-compliant items from being listed and we continuously monitor our store so customers can shop with confidence."

One set of lights bought from retailer Wish, costing only £13, had multiple failings, Which? said.

Wires from a set of Fairy LED string lights sold by Wish were easily exposed, the consumer group said, and the item posed both an electric shock risk and a fire hazard.

It was also advertised as waterproof but Which? found no evidence to support this claim.

Wish, in response to the findings, said that product safety was their "top priority".

"We have clear policies in place that prohibit the listing or sale of items on our platform that violate local or other applicable laws, regulations, and/or safety standards.

"As soon as we were made aware of these unsafe items being listed on our platform, we took immediate steps to take them down and conduct monitoring over certain other identical merchant listings."

Which? recommends that people buy Christmas lights from the high street or a retailer that they recognise.

Around 60% of house fires start through electric faults, according to Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.