FAULTY POCKET LIGHTERS POSE DANGER

It is a worrying statistic that one in ten Brits are exposed to dangerous pocket lighters on a regular basis. According to market analysis, consumers are tempted with hundreds of lighter models that do not conform to minimum safety standards set out in a European regulation which was transposed into UK law in September 2006.

Around 100 million lighters are sold on the UK high streets each year and independent tests show that an alarming 79% of models are non-conforming and potentially unsafe. The laws are in place to prevent this from happening but we need to properly enforce them.

I have heard about people who have been victims of lighters exploding in their faces and having their clothes set on fire. One such victim was Elaine Young who suffered third degree burns and had to undergo a skin graft.

This is something that we have an obligation to prevent – as law makers we cannot allow these lighters to be on the market.

We must make sure that Trading Standards remove these lighters from the market so that we can prevent any more horrific injuries like the ones which Elaine suffered as a result of a faulty lighter.