Public urged to make sure Halloween costumes meet required safety marks

People shopping for Halloween costumes over the next week are being reminded to check they have been made safely.

The warning follows the seizure of 700 items that customs destroyed after finding they didn't have the required safety marks.

Martina Nee of Dublin's European Consumer Centre advised people to be aware of the EU safety standards.

She said: "Children's costumes are classified as toys so they really should have a CE mark.

"This mark indicates that certain products meet specific EU safety standards and they should be on the product itself, the instruction manual and on the packaging.

"It is also very important to watch out for conterfit goods and also this China export mark because it is very similar to the EU CE mark."