A MUM has won a safety battle to have a “dangerous” toy removed from Lidl supermarkets across Britain – after her toddler son nearly choked on a part.
Lisa White, 29, bought the Playtive Wooden Learning Puzzle/Blocks to entertain her 15-month-old son Teddie.
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But within minutes of Teddie playing with the new toy he had managed to pull out a small part and had it in his mouth.
Lisa contacted Lidl and Trading Standards over the toy which is aimed at babies and toddlers and the supermarket has now issued a product recall.
She said: “I popped out in the kitchen to get him a drink. When I walked back in, the block stopper had come out and he had one of the balls in his mouth.
“If I hadn’t noticed when I did, it’s a very real possibility my son could have choked on one of these balls and the outcome could have been extremely different.”
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Lisa, of Monmouth, South Wales, said she raised the issue on December 19 but had to wait more than two weeks until the store issued a product recall.
She now wants other parents who may have bought the toy to be aware of the dangers.
She said: “I think they (Lidl) need to take safety complaints a lot more seriously, especially when the toy is aimed at children one and over.
“I should not have had to fight so hard to get them to recall a toy that is very clearly dangerous.
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“This recall should be publicised as much as possible to stop another family from going through something potentially devastating. I really hope, if in the future anything like this occurs again, they will act a lot quicker to ensure the safety of children.”
A Lidl spokesperson said: “Product safety is of paramount importance to us. We were therefore extremely concerned to hear of this matter and are very sorry for any distress it may have caused.
“Following contact from the customer, our Quality Assurance team launched an urgent investigation with the supplier and took the decision to carry out a full product recall.
“We sincerely apologise for any concern caused and we advise any customers that have purchased the product to return it to any Lidl store for a full refund with or without a receipt.”
Trading Standards confirmed the product had been recalled to the concerned customer, saying: “I hope this reassures you that your concerns were valid and that you did the right thing in reporting them to us after the company initially dismissed them.
“We rely on vigilant customers providing us with such information to help protect everyone.”
