FAMILIES in Darlington have been urged to take action to protect their children from the risks of household cleaning products.

Research by the Royal Society for the Prevention Accidents (RoSPA) found accidental poisonings accounted for 70 emergency admissions for children under the age of four between 2017-2020 in Darlington.

A new campaign set up to raise awareness will see thousands of families receive a magnetic notepad featuring key safety advice.

Caren Shepherd, locality manager for the Darlington 0-19 Growing Healthy Team, said: "We have seen the devastation that unsecured cleaning products can cause families when a young child accidentally drinks them.

“Our ‘The Healthy Child Programme’ focuses on early intervention and prevention for the children and families of Darlington and preventing accidents within the home is an important theme which runs through all of our home visits."

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