Company fined £30,000 for supplying flammable cushions to garden centre

A company that supplied cushions to an East Riding garden centre has been fined £30,000 after the items were found to pose a serious fire risk to the public.

The company, Rosewood Pet Products, based at Queensway, Telford, was charged with supplying cushions that failed to meet essential safety requirements to Coletta and Tyson garden centre in Woodmansey. Tests revealed they could easily catch fire. The items also failed to display permanent labelling in line with safety regulations.

Director Mark Bolland appeared on behalf of the company at Beverley Magistrates Court on May 30, where he pleaded guilty to both offences.

The court heard how officers from East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s trading standards team had visited Coletta and Tyson garden centre in December 2017 and saw cushions, featuring the faces of dogs and cats, for sale in the homeware and gift section of the store.

The officers found they were not labelled correctly and the cushions were removed from sale immediately. The items were sent for independent testing, which revealed the filling of the cushions were highly flammable.

The court heard how Rosewood Pet Products had not included permanent labelling on the cushions to confirm they complied with fire safety regulations as they saw themselves solely as a pet supplies company.

The company claimed the items were not intended for decorative use around the home but for pet use only, stating therefore that the cushions were not required to conform to the same flammability and labelling requirements.

However, magistrates heard how the cushions were being marketed as gifts for pets as well as owners on the company’s website. The items were also available for sale on Amazon with pictures depicting the cushions on sofas as decorative items.

Rosewood Pet Products was fined £15,000 for each offence, must pay prosecution costs of £2,651.23 and a victim surcharge of £70, giving a total of £32,721.32.

Colin Briggs, trading standards manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “The high level of the fine sends a very clear message that consumer and fire safety are being taken very seriously.

“Suppliers must take responsibility for ensuring that all upholstered products they sell meet the appropriate fires safety requirements and are labelled in the manner that the law requires.”