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Over 40 dodgy Christmas toys pulled from shelves after blitz

Over 40 dodgy kids Christmas toys pulled from shelves after blitz on Sydney discount stores

Imitation guns which fire projectiles and race-cars containing cigarette lighters are among dozens of dodgy Christmas toys pulled off the shelves.

Inspectors from the New South Wales Department of Fair Trading have conducted a holiday blitz across hundreds of stores in the lead-up to Christmas.

Of the products inspected, 41 failed safety tests, with 31 of those posing a choking hazard to young children.

Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean warned parents that kids playing with dangerous non-compliant toys were in serious danger.

'It would take mere minutes for a small child to choke on one of these tiny parts – but thanks to Fair Trading these toys are no longer on sale,' he said.

'These dodgy toys have been removed from stores and Fair Trading will take immediate action against those traders.'

Mr Kean urged parents to be careful of toys containing small parts which can be broken off by kids and swallowed.

Among the toys found in the pre-Christmas sweep were toy-like novelty cigarette lighters and yo-yo water balls.

Lighters designed to appear like toys are permanently banned from sale, as are toys intended to be thrown and returned to the hand like 'yo-yo water balls'.

The bulk of the non-compliant toys were aimed at children under three, and advised those with potentially dangerous toys to dispose of them immediately.

People who have inadvertently purchased one of the banned toys can return them to the retailer for a full refund.

Mr Kean said individuals caught selling dangerous toys face maximum fines of $220,000, and companies can face fines of up to $1.1 million.

'We'll come down hard on any trader putting kids at risk through the sale of these shonky products,' Mr Kean said.

'Keeping kids safe this Christmas is our number one priority.'

NSW Fair Trading Consumer Protection Officers checked 1331 sites and inspected 903 traders, and examined 10,727 individual product lines.

Of those 903 traders, 846 were found to be satisfactory, while 57 were selling products which warranted further investigation. 

This article by Sam Duncan appeared on The Daily Mail Australia