agEncja FOtOgRaFIczna caRO / alaMy stOcK PHOtO News Which? presses for judicial review over handling of Whirlpool fiasco Peterborough City Council has defended its handling of the Whirlpool faulty tumble dryer saga after Which? began judicial review proceedings against the Primary Authority just days before Christmas. Which? began its bid for a review after claiming Peterborough Trading Standards had refused to review advice given to Whirlpool in the wake of a serious fire caused by a faulty dryer in Shepherds Bush last year. A spokesman for Peterborough City Council branded the action premature. He said: The safety of consumers is our paramount concern and has been throughout our involvement in this matter. An independent review, which began in December 2016, is currently taking place and we would expect Whirlpool to fully comply with the outcome. This review involves independent experts in fire safety, product safety and product risk assessment. We will strongly defend our position if Which? is granted a judicial review and bearing in mind the ongoing independent review we consider that this action is premature. Peterborough Trading Standards is the manufacturing giants Primary Authority and, as such, is responsible for giving it sound legal advice about issues such as product safety. Whirlpool Corporation first issued safety alerts about millions of its Hotpoint, Indesit and Credabranded tumble dryers in November last year. The appliances were manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015. An investigation by the London Fire Brigade recently concluded that a Whirlpool tumble dryer had been to blame for a tower block fire in Shepherds Bush. In a statement Which? said: The judicial review will ask the High Court to assess whether Peterborough Trading Standards handling of the case since the London Fire Brigades report has been lawful. Which? said the authority had failed consumers by not properly carrying out its role as an enforcer of product safety laws, adding that the case exemplified the problems with the current product safety system and local trading standards services ability to stand up to big business as effective enforcers. It said: The current system is failing consumersand must be reconsidered by government. If granted, a court hearing would be expected to take place later this year. High-risk food and drink advertising ban introduced The Committee of Advertising Practice is introducing tough new rules banning the advertising of high-fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) food or drink products to under-16s from 1 July 2017. The rules, which will apply across all non-broadcast media including print, cinema and crucially online and social media, are being introduced following a full public consultation. This latest move brings the nonbroadcast advertising rules in line with those governing TV. It is anticipated that the move will lead to a major reduction in the number of ads for HFSS food and drinks seen by children. It will also mean ads for HFSS products will no longer be allowed to appear around TV-like content online, such as on video-sharing platforms, if they are directed at or are likely to appeal particularly to children. Girl dies after apparent allergic reaction Two men have been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the sudden death of a teenage girl, who may have suffered an allergic reaction after eating an Indian takeaway on 30 December. Fifteen-year-old Megan Lee, of Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, had eaten food from an Indian takeaway in Hyndburn before suffering the apparent allergic reaction. She was admitted to Royal Blackburn Hospital, but sadly passed away on New Years Day. A post mortem examination to establish the cause of her death has taken place; however, the full results are still not fully known. The men, aged 37 from Rossendale and 38 from Blackburn, have been arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter by gross negligence and are currently in police custody. A spokesperson for Lancashire Constabulary said: We are working closely in liaison with colleagues from trading standards and environmental health as part of our inquiries into Megans death. Her family are being kept fully updated with the progress of the investigation. #reformtheHonours, says lynn Faulds Wood Former BBC Watchdog presenter and consumer champion Lynn Faulds Wood refused an MBE in the New Years Honours list. The broadcast journalist, who has presented a number of panel discussions at CTSI Conference, told followers on Twitter that the honours system was broken and her refusal was helping many who want an open, fairer system fit for the 21st century. She claimed that some recipients of knighthoods have donated more than 1m to political parties. The Honours recognise the achievements and service of a wide range of people across the UK, and this year more than 1,197 received accolades. Just under 10 per cent of those recognised came from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background the greatest number of BAME recipients to date and just over 50 per cent were women. Among them was Dr Gaynor Carolyn (Gaynor Perry) Jeffery, assistant director for EU consumer policy at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, who was made an OBE for services to consumer rights. Death of baby leads to joint probe by police and trading standards Sheffield Trading Standards and North Yorkshire Police have launched a joint investigation into Playtime Beds after the sudden death of a sevenmonth-old boy on 3 November 2016 in Melrosegate, York. While no information has been released about exactly how the boy died, Sheffield Trading Standards is warning that the bespoke beds could pose risks such as asphyxiation or strangulation, falling, entrapment or crushing to children. The safety issues relate to a range of bespoke products, including beds and childrens furniture, supplied nationally by Playtime Beds since March 2015 and, prior to that, by Craig Williams as a sole trader since 2011, when they were sold via Facebook and ebay. Products included: childrens cots; beds; twin beds; cot bunk beds; bunk beds; cabin beds; high sleeper beds; and triple and quadruple beds. A safety warning attributed risks to the design, manufacture and erection of the products. Playtime Beds has currently ceased trading, but is working with Sheffield Trading Standards in relation to the safety concerns. Following the babys death, Williams made an application to Companies House on 29 November 2016 to dissolve his firm, but that action has since been suspended after an objection from an interested party was received. North Yorkshire Police said a 35-year-old man from Rotherham had been interviewed under caution and was assisting police with their ongoing enquiries. A spokesman for Sheffield City Council said: Sheffield Trading Standards is working with Playtime Beds to ensure that appropriate action is taken to warn consumers regarding potential safety issues. Customers are advised to stop using these beds immediately, for either sleep or play, until it is assessed whether they might pose a safetyrisk. Parents are advised to call the national Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 040506 if they have purchased a bed from Playtime Beds. Citizens Advice will pass on customers details to enable local trading standards teams to contact them to assess whether or not their products pose a risk. consultation on compensation scheme announced The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced in December that it is inviting views on the future funding of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). It also launched a consultation on a number of specific changes to the schemes rules. The FSCS is the UKs statutory compensation scheme of last resort, which can step in when an authorised financial services firm is unable, or is likely to be unable, to pay claims against it. Companies across the industry pay levies to fund both the FSCSs operating costs and the compensation it pays out. The rules were last reviewed in March 2013, when the then Financial Services Authority concluded a review of the schemes funding and published final rules. Since then, the scale and impact of FSCS levies has risen sharply for some firms. The FCA is asking for responses to its consultation paper by 31 March 2017 before publishing final rules and a further Consultation Paper on proposed rule changes in autumn 2017.