Blind cord risk warning issued

Parents should be cautious of leaving children unsupervised next to window blind cords in case they accidentally strangle themselves, doctors have warned.

An average of two children die in the UK every year from blind cord strangulation. Medics from Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex, said looped blind cords continue to be a “potential hazard for babies and small children” – and expressed the hope of an end to looped blind cords altogether.

Previous research has shown most accidental deaths occur in children aged between 16 months and 36 months old.