A Romford furniture shop has been handed a £15,000 fine for selling "unsafe" chairs.

Havering’s trading standards team received an anonymous complaint about two products sold by Rattan Garden Furniture Ltd on North Street – the Atlanta and Tokyo chairs.

It sent two of the chairs for laboratory tests and found the fabric and foam used were unsafe.

The council, supported by Essex Trading Standards, seized the chairs from the company’s warehouse and issued a suspension notice to stop the sale of the two product lines.

Jane Rayment and Paul Brightman - who Havering Council says are the owners - appeared in Barkingside Magistrates' Court on September 6.

The company pleaded guilty to possessing goods that did not meet safety regulations with the intention to sell to the public and contravening a suspension notice.

It was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs in excess of £13,000.

Havering Council leader Ray Morgon, said: “In the wake of recent tragedies, it is vital that businesses follow strict fire safety rules for products to ensure their customers stay safe. There is no excuse for businesses to sell unsafe products."

Brightman, 62, and Rayment, 55, both received an administrative caution for being in possession of goods for supply that did not meet the requirements of the safety regulations and contravening the suspension notice.