PARENTS have been warned to be on their guard before letting their children play with potentially lethal novelty Christmas items.

Trading Standards Officers have tested a number of ornaments on sale across St Helens, deemed sufficiently appealing to children However unlike toys, which have to undergo rigorous safety testing, two thirds of the ornaments checked by Trading Standards failed the same checks.

Examples included snowmen figures with easily detachable buttons and facial features and festive figurines with arms and legs containing sharp wire.