WILTSHIRE County Council has welcomed the Government's ban on Yo balls.

Bans on imports of the toys have been imposed by the Department of Trade and Industry as a number of children have had the balls around their necks, almost strangling them. In one incident the toy had to be cut with a knife to allow the child to breathe.

Yo balls come in a number of different forms and with a variety of names.

They are all made from a jelly-like material and are highly elastic and can be stretched to great lengths.

Steve Clover, Wiltshire County Council's trading standards manager, said: "We welcome the Government's ban. While we do not wish to spoil the fun that sensible use of this toy can bring, it is clear that children are using these toys as a lasso and it is then possible strangulation can occur.

"Yo balls have been examined by the Child Accident Prevention Trust which reported that they did not conform to the strict requirements of the Toys (Safety) Regulations.

"We ask all retailers to remove these items from sale and return them to wholesalers. We will not hesitate to take action against anyone who continues to sell these banned toys."

Rob Chivers, assistant manager of Woolworths in High Street, Chippenham, said: "We had only had a small batch in before they were withdrawn, but all of them had sold. They were very popular.

"But with any health and safety issue like this, we have no hesitation in taking the toys off our shelves and no more will be going back on sale at Woolworth."

The toys have also been withdrawn at Card Market in Emery Gate.

Assistant manager, Stephen Spencer, said: "We sold a lot of them when they first came out. But as soon as the warning was issued we withdrew them."

Sue Smith, the headteacher at St Peter's School in Chippenham, said the school had been allowing pupils to play with Yo Balls sensibly until the warning was issued.

"However, this has stopped since news that the toys had been withdrawn," she said.