Parents have been warned about a children’s squishy toy containing a chemical that can cause cancer.
More than 1,000 fake toys, branded Squeezy Dumplings, have been seized from shops in Hull after benzene was discovered in some of them.
The chemical is a carcinogen and can also cause irritation to the skin, eyes, nose and throats, Hull City Council said.
Councillor Ted Dolman urged people to check their children’s toys and dispose of any that appeared to be counterfeit.
“First of all, I would advise anyone not to panic,” he said.
“The best way to tell whether these toys are the genuine ones or whether they’re the ones that we wouldn’t want on the market are to look at the packaging that they’ve been sold in.
“If they just say that they’ve been made in another country and don’t say that they’ve got a supplier or importer in the UK or in the EU, they’re most likely not the genuine ones.”