A STRING of Greenock shops have been raided after they were found to be selling dangerous fake toys to cash in on the Christmas rush.

The worried parents of a four-year-old girl alerted Inverclyde Council’s trading standards officers, who swooped on several stores selling copies of ‘L.O.L. Surprise Dolls’.

The toys are one of this year’s ‘must have’ Christmas gifts, featuring dozens of different characters for children to collect.

Trading standards warned today that people should buy them only from trusted dealers and websites.

A spokesman said: “We would like to warn shoppers to avoid poor quality and potentially dangerous copies of this toy.”

He declined to name any of the local shops involved.

Provost Martin Brennan also appealed to parents to be very careful when buying toys.

Cllr Brennan, who is vice-convener of education and communities, said: “It is no surprise — and no pun intended — that counterfeiters are trying to cash-in on one of the most popular Christmas toys of 2017.

“Fake dolls have started appearing online but also in some shops in Inverclyde, and we are really keen to get the message out to people to avoid them.

“They are cheap, poor quality and potentially dangerous.”

Tests on the counterfeit toy bought for the young girl revealed it failed to comply with safety regulations.

Stock has been removed from the shop with the full co-operation of the retailer, and trading standards are carrying out further inquiries.

It is understood that all counterfeit dolls the council found on sale at the local outlets have been removed — and that spot-checks have confirmed they have not been put back on sale.

Cllr Brennan added: “Online shopping sites are awash with fake products, so I would urge buyers to avoid children being disappointed or possibly put in danger from poor quality imitations.

“These toys normally retail at around £10, so if they are being offered at a bargain-price that is a pretty good indication that all may not be as it seems.”

He added that the product should clearly say ‘MGA Entertainment, Inc’ or ‘MGA’ on the outside packaging.
The real thing is called ‘L.O.L SURPRISE!’, not ‘L.Q.L’ or any other name.