A MUM from Monmouth has successfully lobbied a national supermarket chain to take a dangerous toy off their shelves after her toddler son nearly swallowed a small part.

Lisa White bought the Playtive Wooden Learning Puzzle/Blocks from her local Lidl store for her son, Teddie, who is 15 months old.

“I popped out in the kitchen to get him a drink. When I walked back in, the block stopper had come out and he had one of the balls in his mouth,” Ms White explained.

She says she first raised the issue on December 19, and the supermarket did not recall the product until January 4 – after an intervention from the Trading Standards body.

A spokesperson for Lidl GB said they were “extremely concerned” to hear of the matter and apologised for any distress caused.

South Wales Argus: Teddie, 15 months old, had one of the balls in his mouthTeddie, 15 months old, had one of the balls in his mouth (Image: Lisa White)

Trading Standards confirmed the product had been recalled to the concerned customer, saying: “I hope this reassures you that your concerns were valid and that you did the right thing in reporting them to us after the company initially dismissed them.

“We rely on vigilant customers providing us with such information to help protect everyone.”

Ms White told the Argus: “I think they need to take safety complaints a lot more seriously, especially when the toy is aimed at children one and over.

“I should not have had to fight so hard to get them to recall a toy that is very clearly dangerous.

“If I hadn’t noticed when I did, it's a very real possibility my son could have choked on one of these balls and the outcome could have been extremely different.

“This recall should be publicised as much as possible to stop another family from going through something potentially devastating. I really hope, if in the future anything like this occurs again, they will act a lot quicker to ensure the safety of children.”

South Wales Argus: Product recall details

A Lidl spokesperson said: “Product safety is of paramount importance to us. We were therefore extremely concerned to hear of this matter and are very sorry for any distress it may have caused.

“Following contact from the customer, our Quality Assurance team launched an urgent investigation with the supplier and took the decision to carry out a full product recall.

“We sincerely apologise for any concern caused and we advise any customers that have purchased the product to return it to any Lidl store for a full refund with or without a receipt.”