DUBLIN: Customs officials have impounded tens of thousands of fidget spinners amid fears over their safety.
The must-have toy has been in very short supply because of a continuing craze among the country’s school children.
The fidget spinner was originally designed as a stress relieving toy, to help people living with autism or ADHD to concentrate.
But there has been an explosion in demand in recent months.
While many of the products on sale in Ireland meet the standards set under the EU Toy Safety Directive, there are fears over inferior products amid the rush of imports.
A spokesperson for the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has told the press that consignments of the toys are being referred to its product safety unit on a daily basis.
Working with Revenue and Customs, the CCPC has suspended the importation of approximately 110,000 fidget spinners, which are currently being examined.
Some 50,000 were seized on Wednesday alone, and the figure is likely to increase further.
The CCPC says that products found not to be compliant with European law will be sent back to where they originally came from or destroyed.
