Hundreds of counterfeit children's toys, cosmetics and household products were found to contain dangerous chemicals in the past three years, the Mirror can reveal.
A quarter of all goods tested showed levels of poisons including lead, arsenic and mercury, an investigation by campaign group Unchecked UK discovered.
But with only half of councils were carrying out examinations, there are potentially thousands of hazardous goods in circulation, it warned.
Unchecked UK's Emma Rose said: “Most people support strong rules on chemical safety. “They want to know the everyday products in their homes – like clothes, cosmetics and children’s toys – are free from toxic chemicals. “But our research shows that these protections are being undermined by
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