AN MP has handed in a petition to Westminster to ensure standards are raised in the window blind industry after the tragic death of a Clackmannanshire toddler.

Gordon Banks’ campaign is calling for change in the industry after Menstrie girl Muireann McLaughlin was killed when she became entangled in a looped blind cord in her home last February.

The Ochil and South Perthshire Labour MP took a 3500-strong petition to the House of Commons as the latest step in his campaign, in which he has already held a parliamentary debate and met government ministers and officials, to look at ways to improve safety standards.

He handed it over to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons at close of business.

“Presenting the petition to parliament is an important step in making the government aware of the issues surrounding looped blind cords and the dangers that they pose,” he said.

With the petition attracting signatures from all around the world, it showed the widespread public concern at the dangers of looped blind cords, he said.