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| Upholstery fire in the home |
Hampshire County Council Trading Standards Service is
warning residents that buying furniture from the back of
a van may not be the bargain it seems.
The warning comes after a number of consumers have complained
about traders selling sofas and suites door-to-door from
the back of a van.
Trading standards has uncovered that the furniture up for
sale did not have essential fire safety labels.
Since 1988, all new upholstered
furniture in this country has been required to comply with
stringent fire safety requirements, and to be labelled
as such.
These regulations have made a significant impact
on reducing deaths in household fires.
The suites were also described by the trader as `leather',
when in fact they were imitation leather - a breach of
the Trade Descriptions Act.
Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Ken Thornber,
said "Buying upholstered furniture from the back of
a van, or at car boot sales and other temporary venues,
can pose serious problems for consumers.
The furniture
may not satisfy minimum safety requirements, and potentially
be dangerous.
Once consumers realise there is a problem
with the furniture, they will often find it difficult to
track down trader to get their money back."
Anyone who has bought furniture in this way and is concerned
about its safety should let Trading Standards know by ringing
their hotline number on 0845 603 0081. |
