The investigation by the consumer champion found 100 ladders sharing similar or identical designs to a product that ended an electrician's career after he fell 4.5 metres from a faulty telescopic ladder bought on Amazon Marketplace.
The research identified these products for sale across 21 online platforms including AliExpress, eBay, Shein and Temu.
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, which represents over 6,000 independent retailers across the UK, said: "This deeply troubling research exposes what independent retailers have long known - that online marketplaces are operating without the accountability that physical retailers are held to every single day.
“Our members must comply with strict product safety standards, yet dangerous goods continue to reach consumers through online platforms unchecked. The Government must use the forthcoming consultation on the Product Regulation and Metrology Act to impose a clear legal duty on online marketplaces and enforce it robustly.
“This is another example of how online marketplaces have become the wild west of retailing. We have unsafe products, fake products and widescale VAT fraud. The Government must take action as part of its own high street strategy - independent retailers cannot continue to compete on an uneven playing field while consumers are put at risk.”
Bira is urging its members to engage with the consultation on secondary legislation under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act when it is published in the coming weeks.
