MEPs demand new toy safety symbol

Toys such as this teddy bear were recalled over safety fears

European lawmakers are pressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg to demand a new safety symbol for toys.

The current symbol relies on manufacturers to conduct their own tests, but the MEPs want independent inspectors to do the checking.

The BBC's Alix Kroeger in Strasbourg says it is too late to write a new directive in time for Christmas.

Concern has been raised about the EU's toy imports from China, and there have been several product recalls.

The chair of the European parliament's consumer protection committee, Arlene McCarthy, said the EU had the power to ban toys from China if it failed to improve safety standards.

The EU's consumer protection commissioner, Meglena Kuneva, earlier said she would not hesitate to take China to task if it broke its promise to improve safety checks and standards.

But the US toymaker Mattel on Friday apologised to China for recalling more than 20 million toys, saying the fault lay with the design, not Chinese production methods.