Trading standards officers have found beach shoes for sale in Devon that contained illegal levels of banned chemicals.

The discoveries follow a market surveillance operation conducted by Heart of the South West Trading Standards who swooped on a number of importers and retailers across Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay.

The officers purchased 15 pairs of shoes, made of glossy plastic of the kind used to manufacture jelly shoes, from various outlets and tested them for the presence of phthalates.

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

Councillor Rufus Gilbert, Devon County Council 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.”

Phthalates are plastic-softening chemicals that are used to make plastic more durable but their use in many products is strictly controlled.

Clothing retailers and importers are being urged to consider and review how and where they source their stock.

Ben Newell, business and commercial team manager at Heart of the South West Trading Standards said: “We urge businesses to think carefully about the supply chains they are using to source their products, and if buying from overseas sellers they should be checking for product safety testing information and ensure they have contact details that can be used to trace the products back to the manufacturer in the event of a problem.”

If you are a retailer you can find guidance on the product safety section of the Heart of the South West Trading Standards website.