BURY has not tested any consumer products for hazardous chemicals in the last five years.

The borough was among 58 councils that did not spend any money on analysing samples in search of chemicals, according to a report by campaign group the CHEM Trust.

The council has spent more than £4,000 testing around 40 consumer products over the last five years, but not in the area of chemicals.

Chemicals campaigner Kate Young said: “The high number of councils not conducting any testing at all means that a large proportion of the population is at risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals in the products they use – it’s a postcode lottery."

Local authority trading standards services are responsible for consumer protection.

Part of this duty is to prevent exposure to hazardous chemicals which risk damaging public health and the environment.

They do this by testing products for compliance with regulations.

According to a report by National Audit Office, in 2016, only around seven per cent of local authority trading standards departments were able to organise their service to reflect national priorities.

CHEM Trust is calling for more government funding and better collaboration.

Cllr Judith Kelly, cabinet member for corporate affairs and HR, said: “Our trading standards team do a fantastic job in helping to ensure that products and services in Bury are safe for the public to buy and use.

“There are 263 pieces of legislation that our officers have to enforce, and they have tested around 40 consumer products over the period of this survey. Unfortunately, we have to work within the very limited resources at our disposal.

"The council has lost nearly £100 million under the Government’s austerity programme, and decades of underfunding will inevitably have consequences.”