DEVON County Council (DCC) is recommending that children’s plastic beach shoes are tested nationally after some products on sale in Devon were found to contain banned chemicals.

The council’s Trading Standards team purchased 15 pairs of beach shoes – all of which included ‘glossy’ plastic such as jelly shoes – with varying price points from a range of outlets and tested them for the presence of phthalates.

Six of the 15 samples were found to contain phthalates in excess of the permitted levels.

In the wake of the findings, clothing retailers and importers in Devon are being urged to consider and review how and where they source their stock.

Councillor Rufus Gilbert, Devon County Council’s cabinet member for Trading Standards, said: ‘No parent should be buying beach shoes from a shop and have to second guess whether they are safe or not.

‘Trading Standards is working hard to rid our shops and online marketplaces of these unsafe products, and that why we are asking retailers and importers to help us stop these products from reaching UK shores.’