TikTok and Temu remove cheap electric heaters from their online stores

The consumer group tested eight heaters, the cheapest of which was £7.20, and found most did not meet UK safety standards.

It said the devices, some of which had been promoted by influencers on TikTok, posed "a serious safety risk" to users.

TikTok and Temu both said customer safety was their priority.

However, despite both companies removing the items from sale, Which? said it had found that more similar listings had since appeared in their place.

Temu and TikTok, through its Shop platform, have emerged as rivals to more established online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay, with millions of UK shoppers turning to them for seemingly affordable products.

Which? said its heater research showed they needed to be better regulated.

Sue Davies, Which?’s head of consumer protection policy, told the BBC: "Cheap electric heaters are a tempting purchase for consumers struggling during the cold winter months, but our latest tests have revealed that models sold on TikTok and Temu are a serious safety risk and must be avoided at all costs.

"It’s vital that the government urgently gives greater legal responsibility to online marketplaces for unsafe products so that they are forced to take action to prevent dangerous products ending up in people’s homes."