If your Christmas lights came in boxes like either of the two pictured above, turn them off, take them down and pack them away immediately – they could kill you.
Malta’s consumer affairs authority has issued a warning about two brands of string lights, after inspections revealed that they were poorly built and susceptible to breaking down and exposing parts carrying an electrical current.
“Such parts, if touched, for instance accidentally by a child, could lead to electric shock and even death,” the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority warned.
The MCCAA said that all shops selling the lights had to take them off their shelves immediately. Businesses which did not do so would face MCCAA action, it warned, and customers who had bought the lights should return them to the store they purchased them from.
When buying electrical decorations, consumers should keep an eye out for the CE marking – a sign which indicates that the product is compliant with EU standards and legislation. Products should also have relevant printed warnings in Maltese or English, be marked as running on 230v and have a three-pin plug.
For more information , contact the Technical Regulations Division within the MCCAA on 2395 2000 or email msd.mccaa@mccaa.org.mt.