BP has withdrawn a brand of England World Cup face paints on sale at its stations, after Surrey County Council's (SCC) trading standards received reports they had caused breathing difficulties, swollen eyes and skin irritation to four children.
A spokesman for SCC said BP had fully co-operated with its trading standards once they were made aware of the problems with the product.
A sample of the facepaints, which cost £1.99, are currently being tested for health risks.
The potential hazard was brought to SCC’s attention when four boys, aged five, eight, nine and 11, needed medical treatment an hour after using the face paints while watching England play Algeria on Friday night.
Steve Ruddy, from SCC trading standards, said: “There will be a lot of people who bought the face paints but haven’t used them yet, probably saving them for the tomorrow's England game against Slovenia or a World Cup party. The children’s bad reactions in Surrey could be an isolated incident but parents should be aware of the possible implications of using the paint.”
People have been advised to return any unused face paints to where they bought them from for a full refund.
A spokesman for BP said, although it had not received complaints about the face paints from any other area of the country, it had withdrawn the product as soon as it was made aware of the problem.
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