A COMPANY importing dangerous children's scooters into Wokingham has been fined thousands of pounds.

Importer TLD Marketing and Business development Limited was hauled before Reading magistrates on Friday, July 24, for flouting safety laws.

The scooters were seized when their brakes were found to be faulty and they catastrophically failed their structural tests, and have areas that could trap a child's finger.

The investigation began after Suffolk Trading Standards told the West Berkshire and Wokingham service that potentially dangerous scooters had been imported through Felixstowe port.

The company had imported three scooters, marketed as Keela Mini-Speeder, Keela Speeda Scooters and Keela Scooters, which were all found to be dangerous.

Magistrates handed the company a three year conditional discharge and ordered it to pay £5,288.57 of costs and a victim's surcharge of £15 after it pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching General Product Safety Legislations 2005.

Magistrates were told that the company had a previous conviction dating back to July 2012 for breaching safety provisions. On that occasion they were ordered to pay a fine of £2000 with costs of £3,835.84.

The conditional discharge means that this offence will be considered if Importer TLD breach safety legislation again in a three year period. The company were also ordered to forfeit the scooters that had been seized, which would then be destroyed.

Keith Chopping, executive member for Trading Standards on West Berkshire Borough Council, which leads a shared service with Wokingham Borough Council said: "It is very important that those importing goods into the country take adequate steps to ensure they are safe. This is a further example of the importance of the role that Trading Standards play in protecting the community."