Why was a 6-litre pressure cooker turned away at the UK border?

The product that never reached shelves

Model MES6817 carries barcode 1000795201 and SKU 0H1EPA0000001. It arrived as an import from China. Local Authority Trading Standards notified the Office for Product Safety and Standards. The alert type is a product safety report. The risk level is serious. The corrective action recorded is import rejected at the border. No recall was issued because the units did not enter the market. How many units were in the shipment is not stated in the report.

Two faults in the mains plug

The hazard description names two distinct defects.

First, the mains plug contains an underweight fuse. A compliant, correctly rated fuse is required to ensure safe operation under fault conditions. Without it the product may overheat and ignite, causing a fire.

Second, the plug pins do not meet the dimensional requirements of BS 1363. They cannot make a secure connection to the socket. Both faults appear in the same plug assembly.

The regulations it fails

The product does not meet the requirements of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016. It also fails the Plugs & Sockets etc (Safety) Regulations 1994. These two pieces of legislation cover the safety of electrical appliances and the physical dimensions of mains plugs sold in Great Britain. The report cites both by name. The PSD notification number is 2608-0125.

What this means for anyone buying a similar cooker

The cooker in the photograph shows a pressure cooker with an attached wall plug. If you already own a 6L electric pressure cooker with model number MES6817, check the barcode on the rating plate. The barcode 1000795201 identifies the exact batch stopped at the border. The report does not say whether any units from earlier shipments reached consumers. It also does not mention injuries or fires linked to this model. The border rejection prevents new stock from entering. Existing owners must decide for themselves whether to continue using the appliance.