A BRADFORD businessman was today fined £15,000 after pleading guilty to selling illegal cosmetics, toys and household goods.

Ashvin Rana, 47, of Papa's Cash and Carry, had been told by West Yorkshire Trading Standards (WYTS) to remove about 7,000 products from the shelves at his firm's two premises in Leeds Road and Cottam Avenue, Listerhills, Bradford.

Products including air fresheners, glue, water pistols and colouring chalk were found to be lacking basic labelling information and failed to meet compositional requirements, Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court was told.

WYTS also said Rana had failed to have any dialogue with them after an investigation in February last year, and that he had failed to attend court three times for previous hearings.

David Lodge, head of WYTS, said: "This case goes to show that it is not acceptable to import and retail products such as these without carrying out the relevant checks and tests to ensure they are safe and meet the requirements of UK Legislation.

"Papa’s Cash and Carry has persistently flouted product safety legislation and we hope this case sends out the message that the supply of unsafe consumer goods in West Yorkshire will not be tolerated."

Bradford Councillor Val Slater, chairman of the WYTS committee, said: “Traders who ignore the advice given to them by trading standards are putting the public at risk.

"These products could have caused serious harm to members of the public, especially children, had they been sold to a customer with a young family."

Rana was jailed in 2008 for selling dangerous children’s dummies and in 2010 was found guilty of running an unsafe warehouse.

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