Rosewood Pet Products Ltd, who supplied cushions to Coletta and Tyson garden centre in Woodmansey, Yorkshire, has been fined £30,000 after the items were found to represent a serious fire risk.

Beverley Magistrates Court heard that tests revealed they could easily catch fire as well as failing to comply with fire safety regulations as they did not display permanent labelling.

Director Mark Bolland appeared on behalf of the company, where he pleaded guilty to both offences.

The court heard how officers from East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s trading standards team had visited the garden centre in December 2017 and saw cushions, featuring the faces of dogs and cats, for sale in the homeware and gift section of the store.

The officers inspected the cushions and found they were not labelled correctly and having raised concerns with garden centre staff, the cushions were removed from sale immediately.

The items were sent for independent testing which revealed the filling of the cushions was highly flammable.

The court heard how Rosewood had not included permanent labelling on the cushions to confirm they complied with fire safety regulations as they saw themselves solely as a pet supplies company.

The company claimed the items were not intended for decorative use around the home but for pet use only, and therefore claimed the cushions were not required to conform to the same flammability and labelling requirements.

But magistrates heard how the cushions were being marketed as gifts for pets as well as owners on the company’s website and had labels on them stating “pet faces – a pillow for you or your pet”.

Rosewood Pet Products Ltd was fined £15,000 for each offence, and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £2,651.23 and a victim surcharge of £70.