Thousands of toys withdrawn over lead fears

FISHER-PRICE is recalling tens of thousands of Dora The Explorer and Lazy Town toys from Irish toy shops due to concerns they contain excessive amounts of lead in their surface paint.

The recall is part of a global withdrawal of nearly one million Chinese-made plastic pre-school toys over safety fears and comes as an embarrassment for Fisher-Price and parent company Mattel, which has previously prided itself on strict quality controls.

The toys are used by children as young as two.