THE Wiltshire Trading Standards team is wishing everybody a happy and safe Christmas.

Taking their cue from the festive season, officers have been buying and testing Christmas tree lights.

There are many safe Christmas tree lights on the market but also some produced by rogue firms which can cause anything from electric shocks to fires.

The trading standards officers bought 28 sets, ranging in price from £1.79 to £21.

Shops throughout the county were visited.

Each set was examined for the electrical safety of its components, and the quality of its instructions and safety warnings.

Ten sets failed because of missing warnings or instructions but none were vetoed on safety grounds.

A Wiltshire Trading Standards spokesman said: "The good news is that none of the sets of lights were found to be dangerous.

"Lights in other parts of the country have caused serious concerns and we are pleased that this was not the case in Wiltshire.

"Our survey shows that the people of Wiltshire are well served by their traders, and will be able to have a happy and peaceful Christmas."

The testers found that the price of the lights seemed to have no bearing on the final results of the tests, with the two cheapest sets passing all of the tests.

Meanwhile, three sets costing more than £10 failed.

Trading standards officers urge consumers to always look for the British Kite Mark on electrical items, as this means the goods passed stringent tests before being allowed to go on sale.