Echo campaign victory

8:57am Friday 24th November 2006

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The Echo has won a victory in its battle to stop potentially deadly Polish furniture flooding into south Essex.

The national Trading Standards body is backing calls from the Echo for action to prevent the sofas, which are potential firetraps, reaching the UK.

Officers will hold talks with the Government and the Polish embassy to find ways of blocking the trade.

The scandal was revealed by the Echo in March when we carried out tests on imported furniture sold by a shop in Basildon.

Within seconds of having a match put it, the sofa exploded into a toxic fireball.

The Echo investigation established that similar suites were being distributed nationally from the Oak Lane traveller site at Crays Hill.

The sub-standard furniture did not conform to UK fire regulations, even though tags were attached claiming it did.

After pressure from Billericay Tory MP John Baron, action is now being taken at national level.

David Roderick, Trading Standards Institute chairman, said: "This is a major concern for us.

"Ever since 2004 when Poland became part of the EU, customs officers have been powerless to stop lorries entering the UK and so trade in these sofas has flourished.

"Tests have shown that much of this furniture is unsafe and that the British public is being exposed to considerable risk.

"I have written to the Department of Trade and Industry and the Polish Embassy to call for tighter controls on this furniture.

"The UK currently leads Europe in terms of its furniture flammability regulations and we would like to see these rules extended throughout the EU.

"We are hoping the Polish government may agree to enforce stricter safety standards on its furniture industry and this will reduce the threat to the public."