Parents desperate to buy their children Frozen gifts for Christmas have been warned about the dangers
of fake bracelets from the Disney movie.
Council officers in Nottingham say the bracelets – which are being sold on eBay at £5.75 for a pack of 10 - could slash children's wrists when they are worn.
The counterfeit snap bracelets are made up of a flat steel spring band covered with plastic and decorated with characters from Frozen.
Mum-of-two Julie Brooks, 42, raised the alarm after she discovered that the novelty merchandise is actually made of sections of cut steel measuring tape, covered in cheap thin plastic that could easily tear exposing the sharp metal.
She bought two packets of the bracelets online for a children's birthday party but was shocked when she discovered that beneath a simple plastic cover they were made from cut sections of steel measuring tape.
She told her local paper: "I saw on Facebook a story where a cheap snap bracelet cut a child's face. It was a link shared by my friends.
"I was horrified when they arrived as they looked so poorly made, so I decided to cut one open and found a cut up metal tape measure inside, so it was clearly designed not to be used as a toy.
"I got a refund but I just want to warn other parents to steer clear of these dangerous items before there's an accident.
"As soon as I opened one, I could see they were very dangerous. The metal inside is really sharp. It could slice a child's wrist."
After Julie reported the bracelet to Nottinghamshire County Council it issued a safety warning.
A spokesman said it had received a number of complaints from parents concerned about the bracelets being sold.
Glynn Gilfoyle, chairman of the county council's community safety committee, said: "As Frozen merchandise is the latest craze this Christmas, many parents are struggling to find items for sale and may be tempted to buy counterfeit versions online.
"As this example shows, cheap toys from outside the European Union available from online auction sites are often not well made and have not undergone any safety tests so can be lethal for children to handle.
"As these snap bracelets come into close contact with a child's wrist, these versions could cause a lot of harm so we are urging parents to avoid them at all cost."
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