Toy demand blamed as product recalls hit record

Product recalls in the UK have jumped 12 per cent to a record high.

A total of 229 products were recalled last year across consumer goods, food and pharmaceuticals, up from 205 in 2009, according to research by City law firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC).

The number of recalls in the UK rebounded in 2010 after falling for the first time in 2009.

Car recalls by Toyota, BMW, Rolls-Royce and Ferrari contributed to the figure alongside a 40 per cent leap in recalls of pharmaceutical and other healthcare products, from 20 in 2009 to 28 last year.

Faulty Chinese products continued to pose a problem, representing 62 per cent of consumer recalls. Toys made up nearly half of Chinese product recalls, RPC said.

RPC partner Stuart White said: "Despite China's efforts to improve safety standards, the huge proportion of recalls deriving from Chinese products shows that the problem has not gone away. The problem is partly caused by the demands of the toy industry to bring new products to market rapidly."