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According to a consumer report, unsafe and illegal electric blankets that can cause electric shock are sold online.
Products contain blankets and loose wires with dangerous plugs that pose a serious risk of harm, Which? to create.
While energy bills soared during the cost of living crisis, electric blankets grew in popularity as the British sought economical ways to stay warm. However, consumers are cautioned to be more mindful of the build and quality of these products, some of which cost as little as £13.
9 of 11 Electric Blankets, Scarf and Shawl Which? The consumer group said items purchased from third-party sellers on AliExpress, Amazon, eBay and Wish should not be legally sold in the UK.
These included three blankets from AliExpress containing “cheap” and “bad” plugs and adapters that could shock users. Others had issues with build quality, packaging, and instructions.
Not all nine problem products bore the UKCA or CE marking, demonstrating compliance with environmental, health and safety standards. Additionally, some blankets provided little or no heating, tests showed.
Among the two blankets that passed all tests and were found fit for use were the 1Above double-sized heated blanket sold for £27 on Amazon and the Electric heated blanket purchased from eBay for £16.
After reporting products to online marketplaces, AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, and Wish removed products that failed tests and evaluations.
The findings come as lawmakers and charities call for new regulations to protect consumers from potentially harmful goods sold in online marketplaces. A Special Members Act was tabled last week by Labor MP Ian Mearns to close a “legal loophole” in this area, the BBC reported.
Charity Electrical Safety First supports the bill after previously identifying deadly electrical products that could be purchased in online marketplaces with third-party vendors.
Lesley Rudd, head of consumer group, said: “As people try to keep heating costs down, homes are constantly at risk from dangerous products such as electric blankets. “Without changes in the law, people will remain exposed and vulnerable.”
AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, and Wish all told Which? that they take security and compliance very seriously and act quickly to remove products identified as unsafe.
