Store's decision labelled 'cop out' (From The Northern Echo)

Store's decision labelled 'cop out'

9:04am Monday 16th July 2007 in

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ASDA'S bombshell was met with fury and disappointment from two-year-old Daniel Mitchard-Harrison's family and other campaigners last night.

Messages condemning Asda's decision not to make all their children's pyjamas flame-retardant flooded in from supporters of The Northern Echo's Protect Our Children campaign.

Daniel's mother, Liza Mitchard-Harrison, told The Northern Echo that she felt Asda had tried to blackmail the family by sending toys for Daniel, but refusing to act on the issue.

She said the supermarket chain had told her they would look into ensuring children's pyjamas sold by it were flame-retardant, but had failed to contact her after this.

"I am very, very annoyed," she said. "They sent boxes of toys over for Daniel, but it is like bribery and blackmail.

"They said they were going to look into it, but I have never heard anything further.

"I think they thought they could send over the toys and that would be the end of it, but it isn't.

"I don't want this to happen to anyone else, or for anyone to go through what we have been through."

She said that Daniel, who had already spent six weeks in hospital, had undergone another operation to cut the skin on his leg after it had tightened following a skin graft.

The youngster is now back at home with a walking pot.

Mrs Mitchard-Harrison said: "I look at him and I can't believe what he has been through."

North-East MEP Stephen Hughes, who has pledged to fight for Europe-wide legislation to ban pyjamas that are not fire-retardant, said Asda's decision made it even more vital that the law was changed.

"I am disappointed at Asda's decision. Parents are clearly concerned about the anomaly in the law and believe the risk to their children is high," he said.

"I also understand the concerns people have about the long-term affects of chemicals in our environment and believe that safer chemical alternatives to many of the flame-retardant substances we currently use are already available, but slightly more expensive. Companies like Asda are concerned with profits.

"The only way to protect our children is to raise public awareness in relation to the flammability of pyjamas currently on the market and to legislate to assure compliance by the likes of Asda."

Phil Willis, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, who tabled an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to close the loophole, said Asda's decision was a "cop out".

Mr Willis, who is chairman of the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee, said: "I am disappointed at Asda's response. I suspect that is somewhat of a cop-out because it has got lots of these non-flame-retardant pyjamas on their shelves."

He added that all flame-retardant chemicals had been rigorously tested to make sure they did not harm children's skin.

He said: "Using that as an excuse is really misinforming people, rather than taking on this challenge, which is that no child should be exposed to a risk to their health by having pyjamas that go up in flames."