Pembrokeshire County Council officers put stop on rogue sunbeds (From Milford Mercury)

Pembrokeshire County Council officers put stop on rogue sunbeds

3:00pm Friday 25th January 2013 in News

Almost a third of sunbeds tested in Pembrokeshire had a UV (ultra-violet) output more than double the safe legal limit, it has been revealed.

Trading Standards officers from the county council’s Public Protection Service recently tested 20 sunbeds and tanning devices in 13 different premises.

Using specialist calibrated meters, officers found six sunbeds were over twice the legal European limit in their UV output.

The officers immediately issued ‘Withdrawal Notices’ which prevented further use of the sunbeds until they were rectified.

The locations of the faulty sunbeds have not been disclosed.

All six have since been modified and re-tested and now fall within the safe limit.

During their safety checks, the officers visited beauty salons, hairdressers, gyms and other premises in Pembrokeshire.

County Council Cabinet Member for Environmental and Regulatory Services, Councillor Huw George, explained: “It is impossible for a consumer to be able to check for themselves that they are receiving a safe dose of UV radiation when they use tanning equipment at a salon.

“That makes it so vitally important for these safety checks to be conducted, and for sunbeds that don’t comply to be removed from use until rectified.

“Ongoing checks will be made in the future to ensure their continued compliance.

“Consumers should still ensure that they take advice about safe tanning regimes and exposure times, which vary according to their skin type and other factors, to prevent short term overexposure or longer term health risks.”