Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleOver £3.5 million worth of counterfeit toys, including 236,000 fake Labubu dolls, have been seized at UK borders this year. A significant 75 per cent of the 259,000 intercepted fake toys failed critical safety tests, posing serious risks. Expert testing of the seized goods found banned chemicals linked to cancer and dangerous choking hazards, even in toys for infants. Despite 92 per cent of buyers being aware of counterfeit products, a survey indicated 70 per cent prioritise cost over safety when purchasing toys. The Intellectual Property Office has launched its 'Fake Toys, Real Harms' campaign to warn parents, advising them to buy from trusted retailers and check for UKCA or CE safety marks. In fullToxic chemical warning after 236,000 fake Labubus seized at borderThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

The craze dolls - which can retail for hundreds of pounds - were being openly marketed as Labubu dolls in two West End stores visited by trading standards.

Around 236,000 knock-off versions of the viral dolls have been seized at the UK border so far this year