British consumers are contacting Fisher-Price in their hundreds over fears of personal injury to their children after the company announced a US-led recall of a quarter of a million toys and high chairs.

The company has taken the decision to recall over 72,000 high chairs in the UK alone due to safety fears after seven children in the US required stitches. A consumer association in the States said that children could fall on pegs on the backs of the high chairs, which could lead to cuts and other injuries.

Other items to be recalled include inflatable balls where the valve has detached and become a choking hazard.

A UK spokeswoman for parent company Mattel said that several hundred people in the UK had been in touch since the recall was publicised. She added: "We want to reassure parents that our products are overwhelmingly safe. We operate in a highly regulated industry and we test our products at many stages during development and production. Our product engineers have many years of experience in designing safe toys."