How has Hounslow followed up the issue of second hand car-seats?

Cllr Melvin Collins
Image: Fergus Burnett

Cllr Melvin Collins, the LRSC representative for Hounslow, explains how his borough has followed up the car seat/charity shop issue, recently brought up by Cllr Val Clark.


Having read with interest Cllr Val Clark’s recent blog post on the dangers of second hand child car seats to local communities, the team at Hounslow decided to contact charity shops in our borough.

We all know how expensive it is to bring up children, and charity shops help parents save money by providing access to good quality second-hand items, in addition to raising valuable funds for good causes.

But, one item you should never take a gamble on selling is a second-hand child’s car seat.

Our letter – click here to view – highlights the dangers of an unsafe child car seat, outlining how parents/carers can tell if it’s safe.

The letter reminds charity shops that it is impossible to know for certain if a used car seat has been in a collision and relying on a donor’s word is too much of a risk to take. If a car seat has been involved in a crash there may be little or no visible damage to it, but there could well be substantial internal damage, rendering it dangerous.

Missing instruction booklets in second-hand car seats could lead to them being fitted incorrectly, again rendering them dangerous.

We hope that other boroughs will follow the lead set by Cllr Val Clark and Bexley – and help raise awareness of this important issue.