Deathtrap sofas which could kill in minutes have been sold from a Basildon shop, a special Echo investigation has shown.

During a specially commissioned fire hazard demonstration, this black PVC two-seater belched deadly acrid smoke and cyanide gas and was reduced to a just charred skeleton in four minutes.

But the suite, bought in Furniture Store in Southernhay, displayed tags claiming it complied with strict UK fire safety regulations.