Ikea relaunches recall of 29 million Malm dressers and chests of drawers in US

Ikea in the US has releaunched a recall of 29 millions chests and dressers after the death of an eighth child involving its furniture.

But the re-announcement of the ongoing voluntary recall will not affect customers in the UK.

The death of a California toddler, who was found trapped underneath an Ikea Malm dresser in May, has raised questions about whether Ikea has effectively spread the word about the recall, which was first announced in June 2016.

The Swedish retailer and US federal safety regulators are asking customers to take immediate action to secure the dressers, or to return them.

At least eight children under the age of three have been killed when an Ikea dresser fell on them, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The first death occurred 28 years ago and the others occurred after 2002.

The latest death involved two-year-old Jozef Dudek of Buena Park in California.

The toddler had been put down for a nap when his father went in to check on him and found him under the dresser, according to details released by lawyers retained by the family.

None of the furnishings in the fatal incidents had been anchored to the wall.

Donna Moore from Ikea UK said the company's chests of drawers meet all mandatory stability requirements in all markets where they are sold.

"We would like to reassure people that IKEA chests of drawers are safe when anchored to the wall as per the assembly instructions, using the tip over restraint provided with the product," she said in a statement.

"Ikea urges all customers to check that their chests of drawers are securely anchored to the wall.

"Any customer is welcome to contact us on 0203 6450010 (UK) or 01 5413302 (ROI) to request a free replacement restraint kit if they haven't already fixed their chest of drawers to the wall."