Consumer products: reporting product safety issues
How to report products that are unsafe and may have caused injury or damage.
Unsafe products are sometimes found in the UK despite businesses being legally responsible for all products they make, import, distribute or sell in the UK.
How to report unsafe products
If you think a product is unsafe and could harm people, you should report your concerns.
- In England and Wales, contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline
- In Scotland, contact the Advice Direct Scotland consumer helpline
- In Northern Ireland, contact your local district council
Your complaint may be referred to the relevant local Trading Standards Service or Environmental Health Service in Northern Ireland. Your information will help decide if they need to take any action.
You may be entitled to a refund, a replacement, or a repair if there is a safety issue with a product you own.
The importance of consumer reporting
Consumer reporting can help take unsafe products off the shelves and potentially save lives. If you think a product is unsafe and could harm people, or if you have been injured by a product, it is important that you report it.
Consumer reports are used by local trading standards and OPSS to:
- identify unsafe products across the whole supply chain, including manufacturers
- support product safety investigations where needed
- aid development of educational campaigns and activities that raise consumer awareness
- form part of broader evidence used to support regulatory or legislative changes, improving the product safety framework further
Local trading standards can escalate product safety matters to OPSS in line with the OPSS Incident Management Plan.
Trading standards also use the Product Safety Database (PSD) to formally notify OPSS (on behalf of the Secretary of State) of unsafe and non-compliant products, as required in product safety legislation.
Some consumer products are the responsibility of specific agencies, who may have their own approaches to reporting product safety concerns. This includes:
- Foods, covered by the Food Standards Agency (FSA)
- Medicines and medical devices, covered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- Workplace products, covered by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
- Vehicles and vehicle parts and accessories, covered by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)
What to do if a product causes injury or damage
If an unsafe product causes injury to you or your family or damage to your property, you may be able to claim compensation, depending on the circumstances. For further advice, use the links above to contact the consumer helplines of Citizens Advice or Advice Direct Scotland, or your district council in Northern Ireland.
Claim compensation if an item or product causes damage – Citizens Advice website.