A recent investigation has revealed that 96% of outdoor electrical products tested failed safety checks, posing serious risks to shoppers, according to a charity's warning. Many of these products, sold by third-party sellers and listed as suitable for outdoor use, were found to be unsafe. Major online retailers, including Temu, Amazon, and eBay, were discovered to be hosting the sale of these dangerous goods. One alarming test showed an immersion heater, intended for heating a paddling pool, bursting into flames. The charity is now calling for a complete overhaul of product safety laws to impose a legal duty of care on online giants.
Summer Shocker: BBQs and outdoor lighting fail tests, risking fire and electric shock 1
Summer soirees are at risk of a shock, as electric BBQs, outdoor lighting and paddling pool heaters are found to risk fire and electric shock.

With the country soaking up the summer months, Brits scrambling for popular products to host friends and family at outdoor get-togethers are at risk of an unexpectedly shocking summer, a new investigation reveals.

Consumer safety charity, Electrical Safety First, tested 26 outdoor electrical products over a year-long period, with a staggering 96% posing a risk to the user having failed to meet safety standards.

The study tested products bought from third party sellers on a variety of major online marketplaces, including Temu, Amazon Marketplace, eBay, Wish and AliExpress.

Shockingly, all but one product failed at least one safety test, with 96% posing a risk of electric shock. Additionally, 46% of the products tested had both a risk of fire and electric shock.

Popular outdoor items, such as electric barbeques, were found to pose a risk of electric shock and fire due to being fitted with substandard plugs and counterfeit fuses. Extension leads, specifically marketed as being waterproof, failed to prevent water ingress – meaning the user could be exposed to a serious risk of electric shock when using the device if it was wet.

Products that were likely to be left out throughout the summer months, such as patio heaters and atmospheric festoon lighting for the warmer evenings, all failed to prevent water ingress leaving consumers highly exposed to serious electric shocks in the likely event the UK experienced rain in the summer.

Further testing undertaken on a water immersion heater, that could be used to warm the water in a children's paddling pool, saw the device catch fire when not submerged. Video footage of testing shows the water heater bursting into flames.

Lesley Rudd, chief executive of Electrical Safety First, commented: “Consumers are being duped into thinking products are safe for outdoor use, when in reality many of them pose a severe risk. These products are falling short of basic safety standards, putting consumers in danger. The persistence of dangerous products on online marketplaces, even after removal, points to a major problem that urgently needs addressing. It is not acceptable that shoppers are at risk from such prevalent dangers when shopping online.”

In total, 81% of the products failed water ingress protection tests, which are critical for outdoor safety. Festoon lighting and children’s paddling pool heaters were particularly problematic, with 89% of the festoon lights and all the pool heaters failing to meet safety standards.

The charity is concerned with the ‘whack-a-mole effect’ whereby when one product is removed for sale a similar or identical product could appear online soon after one is removed. The charity believes the current voluntary system of self-regulation by online giants is unfit to protect the public from harmful goods.

Lesley Rudd, chief executive of Electrical Safety First adds: “Strong and robust new laws for online marketplaces are needed to end their arms length approach to tackling dangerous goods. Legal duties should be imposed on them to ensure they are legally forced to take reasonable steps to ensure what they host on their sites are safe. Without a total overhaul of our product safety laws shopping online in the UK will remain a dangerous business for consumers.

"We are warning shoppers that just because something is sold as ‘outdoor safe’ this does not guarantee the product meets the necessary safety standards to be used outside safely. We urge people to be cautious and to stick to reputable high street retailers where you can shop with more confidence that the product you’re buying is safe.”