Christmas lights are safe - vendors

Ironmongers and electrical stores do not seem to be worried about a recent European report on unsafe Christmas lights because they consider the ones they import to be safe.

This week, the European Commission published a report that found 30 per cent of Christmas lights posed a serious fire hazard. The report investigated festive lights in Germany, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Hungary and Slovenia.

However, a number of local shops selling Christmas lights, which vary from fairy lights to LEDs, said they were not worried because all their products were safe and in line with EU regulations.

Safety awareness should also come from the customer, which, according to the shop owners, was not very high.

"I am very careful that all my lights carry the CE certification but no one asks," one shop owner said.

"It is very rare that someone asks about the CE mark; many don't know what it is," another said.

Customers should keep an eye out for three things: the CE marking, a three-pin plug and a wire that is not too thin.

Even lights imported from outside the EU, from China, for example, underwent the CE mark rigorous testing system before being distributed, a spokesman for the Malta Standards Authority ex-plained.

The wires had to be strong enough for the current to go through because, if not, it created the serious risk of an electric shock or fire.

A quick glance at the shops selling Christmas lights in Valletta showed all the lights had the CE mark, which certified that the product met EU consumer safety, health or environmental requirements.

But not all plugs were three-pin and not all the instruction leaflets were in English.

After the Commission's report was issued, the MSA said it would be carrying out a number of shop inspections to examine the lights against a checklist that included certification, labelling, wire thickness and plug compliance.

The Commission's report said the lights were tested for 15 requirements, including the quality of insulation, cables and wiring, protection against electric shock and fire resistance.

Too thin and frail wiring, which came loose, not having the correct technical markings and lack of warnings and instructions were among the factors that caused certain festive lights to be classified as "dangerous".

Consumers are advised to buy their Christmas lights from reputable businesses and to switch these off before leaving the house or going to sleep.

If a fault develops, the lights should be returned immediately.