Children's sand kits sold on Amazon and Asda urgently pulled from shelves due to asbestos risk

This latest discovery adds to a growing list of children's toys found to contain the dangerous substance, which is entirely prohibited from sale in Britain regardless of quantity.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards has now issued more than 39 recall notices since November concerning sand products tainted with asbestos.

Which? conducted independent laboratory analysis that confirmed the presence of the banned mineral in both kits, prompting immediate action from retailers.

The first affected product, marketed as a Montessori sand art tray, was designed to develop children's fine motor skills through hands-on drawing activities using either pencils or fingers.

Which? discovered this item remained available on Amazon Marketplace and TikTok Shop until May, despite the OPSS having issued a recall for the identical product back in March.

The second contaminated kit, branded as GL Style Sand Bottle Art Heart or Stars and manufactured by RMS International Limited, was purchased from Asda and subsequently identified on eBay through three private sellers.

Tremolite asbestos poses severe health risks as it can become airborne and cause serious lung diseases even at minimal exposure levels.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has designated all asbestos forms as carcinogenic to humans.

The asbestos contamination crisis has extended beyond retail shelves, forcing the closure of schools and parks, with North East England among the most recently affected areas.

Investigators believe the contaminated toys contain sand sourced from particular quarries in China where naturally occurring asbestos is present in the ground.

The OPSS has updated its original March recall notice to encompass Amazon and TikTok Shop following the Which? investigation.

One of the sand art trays tested by the consumer group was found listed by three separate sellers on Amazon Marketplace, despite already being subject to an official recall.

Products containing any quantity of asbestos, including trace amounts, are strictly forbidden from sale under British law.

Sue Davies, head of consumer rights policy at Which?, condemned the situation in stark terms: "It is outrageous that online marketplaces are selling products which may expose children to asbestos, especially when some of these products had already been recalled by the OPSS."

She urged ministers to act swiftly, warning: "The longer the Government delays taking action, the greater the risk that more dangerous products will reach consumers."

The Government has published proposals requiring online marketplaces to exercise due care in preventing dangerous products from reaching consumers, though Which? insists legislation must be sufficiently robust and enforceable.

Amazon stated it was removing all products in the affected category while investigating further. Asda initiated a full recall, advising customers to return items for refunds.

eBay confirmed swift removal of identified listings, whilst TikTok stated the product had already been taken down.