A COMPANY director has been ordered to pay more than £30,000 for selling furniture which is highly flammable and dangerous to buyers.
Andrzej Poznanski, director of Deko Furniture Ltd of Manor Road, West Ealing, was convicted at Ealing Magistrates' Court on September 9 of the supply of, or having in possession for supply, furniture which failed to meet the safety requirements of the Furniture and Furnishings Regulations.
Officers from Ealing Council's Trading Standards bought two sofas in an undercover operation and tests proved that both the upholstery fabric and foam filling caught fire easily and burned rapidly.
Raids were then carried out at the store in West Ealing and at another showroom in the Arklow Trading Estate in
Lewisham, where officers suspended the sale of 259 pieces of furniture including sofas, armchairs and sofa beds held in stock.
The court ordered the destruction of hundreds of pieces of furniture worth £54,000 and the company was fined £2,500. Poznanski was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay the council's costs of £20,886.
Councillor Ranjit Dheer, Ealing Council cabinet member for safer communities, said: "These sofas are very dangerous and failed all fire safety tests.
"Keeping residents safe is one of our priorities and we will continue to take action against any traders putting lives at risk.
"We would urge anyone concerned about any furniture they have bought to contact trading standards."
Poznanski and Deko Furniture Ltd were unavailable for comment.
For more information or to contact a Trading Standards officer, call 020 8825 6888 or email tradingstandards@ealing.gov.uk
