A bespoke bunk bed maker is being investigated after the tragic death of a seven month old child. Playtime Beds Ltd has made special made to measure beds for the past five years, including those made to look like castles.
Its beds sell for between £300 and £600. But the company seems to have stopped trading just a few days after the child’s death at the beginning of November. Police and Trading Standards officials have both launched an investigation into the incident, as well as warning any parents with the beds to stop using them because they could either strangle or crush children.
A 35 year old man, who is understood to be the firm’s owner Craig Williams, has been questioned by police. A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police confirmed that the force was investigating the sudden death of a child at a home in York.
Safety fears
Officers also urged anyone with a Playtime Bed to get in touch with police if they have any concerns over safety, or if a child has suffered any injury as a result of using the bed. Trading Standards will now be launching an extensive investigation to look at every one of the beds made by the company which is based in Sheffield. It has issued a safety alert, which warns that there is a risk of “asphyxiation or strangulation, falling, entrapment or crushing.”
It is not yet known how many of the beds have been sold, but it is thought the figure could be in the thousands? Parents said they were so worried that they had made their children sleep on the floor during the festive period.
Some bed owners said on social media that they had been told that the beds did not meet UK standards, and that children sleeping on lower bunks could be crushed. They also claimed there were issues with the slats, which could strangle children if they got their head stuck.
