South Lanarkshire Council

Trading Standards Officers seized a number of the items which are part of a craze to customise children's soothers with hand-glued gems and decorations.

Officers seized the dummies from a trader in Rutherglen Shopping Centre after similar products failed safety tests carried out by watchdogs in local authority areas both north and south of the border.

Jim Stirling, the council's Environmental Services Manager, said: "The dummies seized by us are genuine dummies manufactured by a reputable company.

"But it is the hand glued gems added as decoration which makes them potentially unsafe.  When the dummy is cleaned, the glue used to attach the gems can soften and the gems loosen which may pose a choking hazard."

And Jim urged any parent or carer who may have bought such an item to stop using it immediately.

Jim added: "To our knowledge, these items are being sold both on the street and online and the potential customer base could be pretty extensive.

"There are many, I am sure, who would find these products attractive or distinctive, not thinking at all of the potential danger to the child.

"The bottom line is that these items are not fit for purpose, and should be avoided at all costs."

Anyone caught selling the dummies could ultimately face a fine of up to £20,000.