Rome – Some 3,000 fidget spinners, a new toy at the centre of a worldwide craze, have been confiscated in northern Italy due to dangerous design flaws and lack of certifications, police said on Wednesday.

via GIPHY

The propeller-like toy, which is a three-pronged contraption with a central circular bearing, can be balanced on the thumb, tossed from one hand to the other or simply used to keep hands busy.

Fans say they are highly addictive and help with stress relief.

“We do not know if the ones that were sequestered by the Guardia di Finanza of Turin could reduce tension, but they were definitely a potential danger for users,” Italy’s financial and tax crimes police said in a statement.

The toys, seized from two shops on the outskirts of Turin, in Italy’s north-west, had sharp, rather than soft, edges, which could have caused eye and tooth injuries “if not used in the correct way,” police said.

They were also missing EU health and safety marking and documentation on who manufactured, imported and distributed them.

The two retailers who stocked them will face fines and up to four years’ imprisonment, the Guardia di Finanza added.

via GIPHY

– dpa

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