More than 30 children's toys have been recalled in the UK after it was discovered that play sand sold by Hobbycraft was contaminated with asbestos. The revelation, first reported by the Guardian in January, prompted a surge in testing by retailers and manufacturers, leading to further recalls of products including candle-making kits and stretchy rubber toys from stores such as Tesco, Primark, Matalan and M&S.
Asbestos, which can cause cancer if inhaled, is prohibited in any quantity in the UK. The contaminated sand is believed to originate from mines in China, where asbestos fibres occur naturally and labelling regulations are less stringent. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) issued an advisory note on reliable testing methods after the initial Hobbycraft recall, resulting in a spike in laboratory requests from businesses.
Consumer group Which? criticised the scale of recalls as evidence of a serious failure in safety checks. Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy, urged the OPSS to take action and ensure proper checks, particularly on online marketplaces with limited regulation. Traders have questioned the industry's standard lab testing methods, which failed to detect small quantities of asbestos, while more reliable tests revealed contamination in previously certified products.
Campaigners have accused the UK government of inaction following earlier recalls in Australia and New Zealand, where contaminated play sand led to school and nursery closures in November. Laurie Kazan-Allen of the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat stated that it took a Guardian article to force UK authorities to address the threat. Post-Brexit laws have shifted responsibility to exporters and retailers to test goods and report asbestos findings, rather than allowing the government to ban hazardous products pre-emptively.
Product Safety Minister Kate Dearden described the sale of toys with asbestos as 'staggering' and announced new measures to strengthen consumer protection. She emphasised close cooperation with the EU, Trading Standards and the toy industry to ensure immediate removal and recall of affected products. Among the recalled items are Smyths toys, HTI Toys Stretcherz, and various sand art kits sold via eBay and Amazon.
