Dangerous phone chargers land retailer fine
A shopkeeper has been ordered to pay more than £1,500 after being found selling dangerous mobile phone chargers.
Manmeet Singh, trading as A to Z Communications on Edward Street in Cheetham Hill, pleaded guilty to three counts of selling dangerous electrical equipment during a hearing at Manchester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday 4 July. He was fined £180 with £1,325.29 costs and a £15 victims of crime surcharge.
Manchester City Council trading standards officers visited the shop and seized 35 chargers, which were unbranded and advertised as being for use with a range of products including iPhones.
The chargers were tested and were found to have problems with their internal wiring.
Singh, aged 27, of Carr Manor Drive in Leeds, attended an interview with Manchester trading standards but refused to answer any of the questions, simply replying 'no comment'.
Cllr Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council's executive member for the environment, said: "Shopkeepers have got a duty to make sure products they sell are safe but our officers found Singh selling dangerous chargers which could have given a nasty shock – or potentially worse – to anyone using them.
"I would like to praise our trading standards officers for removing these dangerous items from sale in Manchester, and this case should serve as a warning to other traders who think they can get away with selling products which could put people in danger."
