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| Upholstery fire in the home |
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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. |
