Device for pregnant women dropped

A charity has withdrawn a seatbelt device for pregnant women from sale over fears for its safety.

Consumer magazine Which? and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents raised doubts over the £20 product to make car seatbelts safer and more comfortable for pregnant women.

They fear not enough tests have been carried out on the device sold by the National Childbirth Trust in its catalogue and on its website.

The charity has now stopped selling the product until further tests are completed. The BabySafe Bump Belt is a car seat cushion with Velcro straps to hold the lap belt below the "bump".

Richard Headlands of Which? said: "The product sounds good in principle, but our car safety experts criticise the BabySafe for its poor instructions and design. The lap section could ride up on to the bump, causing serious injury to mother and baby. The manufacturers say it has been tested but we do not feel that it has been tested enough."

A spokesman for the National Childbirth Trust said: "We have withdrawn the item from sale. We are glad that this has been brought to our attention and we are not taking any more orders until we investigate it further."