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Parents have been warned to avoid fake Frozen dolls containing dangerously high levels of chemicals linked to cancer.

Safety experts have warned counterfeit copies of Disney’s best selling Snow Queen Elsa could pose a serious health risk to youngsters.

They were made in China and have excessive levels of phthalates - often used to soften plastic - which could be carcinogenic in high quantities.

The warning is the latest of several about fake Frozen dolls made in the Far East.

Last week more than 1,000 dodgy toys were impounded at Felixstowe, Suffolk.

Items included youngsters’ elephant seats, costumes and toys including fake merchandise from childrens’ favourites Frozen and Minions.

Some were potentially hazardous while others were marked with fake trademarks.

The toys, ordered over the internet by a Newcastle business, came into the UK from China.

Phthalates - barred in Europe since 1999 - have been linked to causing cancer, asthma and damaging the reproductive system.

Trading standards teams seized a haul of the hazardous Elsa dolls in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, earlier this year.

But European safety experts have now warned they could be on sale across the UK.

The dolls have a set of rotor blades attached to the back which allow the toy to hover just above the ground. They are supplied with a charger and packaged in a printed cardboard box.

The European Commission says putting phthalates in a toddler’s mouth could pose a “serious risk to child health”.

A spokesman said: “The head of the doll contains phthalates. This may harm the health of children, causing possible damage to the reproductive system.”

Frozen’s Snow Glow Elsa was the most in-demand toy last Christmas and many retailers sold out of their entire stock.