Consumer group flags 171 unsafe baby pool floats sold on major online marketplaces

Which?’s probe revealed 171 baby swimming floats that pose a drowning hazard, available on Amazon, AliExpress, eBay, OnBuy, Shein and Vinted. Many feature canopies that can become unstable in wind, and others have inflatable rings around a baby’s neck, both of which can cause the float to flip or sink. The products correspond to at least 14 alerts on the UK government’s recall site and resemble a float involved in a fatal incident in the United States.

Which? urged the government to invoke new powers under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act to impose a clear safety duty on online marketplaces. In response, the platforms said they have removed the flagged listings, are investigating how they appeared, and are enhancing monitoring, recall and verification procedures to prevent similar items from being sold.