MP Jim Fitzpatrick, a former fire fighter, is supporting a campaign against the numbers of dangerous lighters flooding the UK market.
One in 10 Brits have either had an accident with a lighter or know someone who has, according to a recent consumer survey by pollsters APCO.
European Federation of Lighter Manufacturers, a trade body for lighter manufacturers, says the survey highlights the “urgent” need for the government to enforce European lighter safety regulations in the UK.
Around 100 million lighters are sold on the UK High Street each year with an alarming 79 per cent of models non-conforming to safety regulations.
Mr Fitzpatrick, the Labour MP for Poplar and Limehoise, said: “This should be a wake-up call to the government. We need to set a clear direction to ensure that unsafe, non-conforming lighter models do not come into the UK and if they do, they are seized by Trading Standards. The laws are there, but they need to be properly enforced.”
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