A north-east man has claimed his newborn grandson’s life could have been endangered after a set of Christmas lights went up in flames.
Douglas Jenkins had bought the lights from a shop at 25 Union Street last Friday.
The 45-year-old had intended to use them to decorate the nursery of his grandson, who was born just a few weeks prior to the incident.
But after he plugged them in to test them at his King Street home, he claims they began to heat up and caught fire.
“I went out of the room to make a cup of tea, and when I came back they were smouldering,” he said.
“Within minutes the whole thing was up in flames, they spread right up the window.
“So much smoke got in my eyes and lungs that I was sick three times.
“There was just black smoke everywhere and it got into my lungs, my girlfriend had to come in and help me, and I managed to put it out with a fire extinguisher.
“You can see where the copper’s damaged the plastic, the whole rest of the case is burned.”
Mr Jenkins subsequently took the damaged lights back and asked the shop to remove the rest of the stock from sale.
He added: “They were just part of a little Christmas thing I was going to put together for my grandson – I was going to give it to him on December 1.
“Luckily, I always try test everything out first before I would give it to my grandchildren.
“If that had been a newborn baby in the room it could have been a lot worse.”
Mr Jenkins, who works as a scaffolder in the city, has now reported the matter to trading standards officers in the city.
The Press and Journal understands the products have now been removed from the shop shelves.
An Aberdeen City Council spokesman confirmed trading standards are continuing their inquiries.
The shop proprietor declined to comment when approached last night.