Mickey Mouse robots and K-Pop dolls among the items seized following a swoop on the market by trading standards officers
A “significant quantity” of counterfeit and unsafe toys has been seized from a trader at Barking Market.
Barking and Dagenham Council’s trading standards team swooped to stop the sale of the illicit goods during an operation last month.
Officers acted on intelligence provided by market officers and visited the stall, where they removed a range of illegal products including Spiderman toys, K‑pop dolls, Stitch dance toys, Mickey Mouse dance robots, Pikachu dance toys, Frozen dance robots, Nemo fish machines and Pokémon cards.
Initial checks revealed that several items failed to provide the legally required name and address of a UK importer, information essential for tracing products in the event of a safety concern. Without this, dangerous or non-compliant items cannot be effectively tracked or recalled, posing risks to consumers, particularly children.
The trader involved is now under investigation, and formal enforcement action is being considered by trading standards.
Syed Ghani, the council’s cabinet member for enforcement and community safety, said: “People deserve to know that the toys their buying for children are safe, however counterfeit toys put children at real risk, and we will not hesitate to take action against traders who disregard safety standards.
“Our trading standards team works hard to keep dangerous products off the market, and this seizure sends a clear message: selling unsafe goods will not be tolerated.”
