Claudia Winkleman Wins Battle To Improve Safety Standards Of Children’s Fancy Dress Costumes

Supermarkets are every parent’s go-to shop when buying Halloween, or indeed any fancy dress, attire for their tot.

There’s usually an abundance of choice and they’re fairly cheap – because who wants to shell out lots on an outfit that will quickly be smeared in chocolate and probably only worn once? No one.

But clearly many of them weren’t very safe, as Claudia Winkleman found out the hard way when her eight-year-old daughter was badly burnt last Halloween when her costume caught fire.

Since the horrific accident, the TV presenter has teamed up with BBC1’s Watchdog to improve the safety standards of such clothing items and has won her case. Children’s fancy dress outfits will now meet tougher fire requirements thanks to Claudia’s campaigning.

From Halloween this year, the costumes sold by Sainsbury’s will meet the same strict flammability standards that apply to its nightwear. Up until now, they only have to be tested to the same standard as toys.

Sainsbury’s isn’t the only supermarket who’s upping its efforts to increase health and safety standards. Tesco, Asda and Marks & Spencer all plan to use tougher testing on fancy dress for children.

The Strictly Come Dancing presented spoke out in May about the moment that her daughter’s costume caught fire, explaining that it has been ‘life changing’ and that she wished it had ‘happened to me’ instead.

Matilda’s witch costume set alight after it came into contact with an open flame, while trick or treating last Halloween.

“I was talking to somebody and then I hard her scream, and she just screamed ‘mummy’ and she was on fire,” Claudia told Chris Hollins on Watchdog. The incident left Matilda with severe burns and also a neighbour, who attempted to extinguish the flames with his bare hands.

[Claudia Winkleman On The Moment Her Daughter’s Halloween Costume Caught Fire: ‘I Wish It Had Happened To Me’]

[Tess Daly Reveals That Claudia Winkleman’s Daughter Matilda Is Recovering Well After Accident]