A US consumer watchdog claimed it had found traces of arsenic-like antimony - used in batteries - that exceeded permitted limits.

Yesterday the furious US toy firm behind this year's Christmas top-seller threatened to SUE the GoodGuide organisation over its "flawed" tests.
UK distributor Character Group said: "The testing protocols used by GoodGuide were not compliant with EU or US standards."
It added: "Accordingly, the GoodGuide testing process was flawed, the results meaningless and the safety concerns expressed on the basis of these results entirely groundless."

The company's executive chairman Richard King said: "The disruption to the retail toy trade by the publication of unfounded claims and views at this important time of year is not fair to the UK toy trade. We go to great lengths to sell and promote only safe toys."

The firm said independent tests overnight in Hong Kong confirmed the £10 toys "fully comply" with Europe's "extremely stringent safety and quality standards".In America, Russ Hornsby - boss of toy giant Cepia LLC - had "referred this incident to its US attorneys".

Go Go Hamsters, manufactured in China and known abroad as Zhu Zhu pets, forage on their own and coo when stroked. They are aimed at three to tens.
A whopping 700,000 were tipped to be sold here amid a Christmas scramble that has already stripped shelves.

Parents frantically trying to bag their kids one caused the Toys R Us website to crash.

On eBay sets of all four - Mr Squiggles, Chunk, Num Num and Pipsqueak - plus accessories had been fetching up to £500.

But yesterday Mr Squiggles - albeit on his own - was barely fetching £15 on the auction site.

Argos said it had been in touch with both Cepia and Character - and like other supermarkets had no plans to withdraw the toys.

A spokesman said: "We remain confident that these toys are completely safe."

Tesco said: "We will continue to sell Go Go Hamsters."

Large doses of antimony can cause headaches, vomiting or even worse.

Levels are set at 60 parts per million in the US.

GoodGuide claimed it detected 106 parts per million in Mr Squiggles' nose and 93 per million in his fur. But even so the amounts are minuscule.

Yesterday the PDSA charity for sick pets begged people not to buy REAL hamsters for Christmas instead.