Free sources of help available to consumers, accident victims and students.

Citizen's Advice Bureau Consumer Service is a publicly funded and offers UK-wide consumer advice by phone  (08454 04 05 06)  and online about unsafe products . Their call centre will forward  complaints about specific products or traders to the appropraite local authority trading standards officers. You can also report unsafe products by e-mail  via their website .

If you are considering claiming  compensation for injury or damage caused by a conusmer product you should get legal advice from a solicitor, law centre or citizens advice bureau. If you are advised  that you need to pay for a report on the product from an expert witness, this will usually be arranged by the lawyer. However if you are following the small claims track in a county court you will probably need to find (and pay) one yourself. You can find local lawyers who specilise in product liability claims from the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.

If your interest is educational, journalistic or public spirited, start by looking at the product safety  sites of: RoSPA, the UK Government and the European Commission's Consumer Protection Directorate.