Ready-made first aid kits are often bulked out with unnecessary items, investigation reveals

Ready-made first aid kits from shops are often a rip-off because they are bulked out with unnecessary items, according to consumer watchdogs.

Families are better off buying the essential pieces of kit separately, Which? said.

Pre-packed kits often don’t contain all the vital components but instead have fancier items such as foil blankets, ice packs and eye wash.

Packs like these, with the basic items then added to them would cost £21, Which? found.

But foil blankets are not seen as vital in our temperate climate, while frozen peas and tap water could easily substitute for ice packs and eye wash respectively.

The group said that if customers simply bought the 11 items deemed essential individually it would cost just £15. 

These items were waterproof plasters, absorbent dressings, microporous tape, tweezers, antiseptic wipes, hydrocortisone cream, skin closures, paracetamol, anti-diarrhoea tablets, crepe bandages and blister plasters.

Which? said: ‘Compiling your own [kit] means you’re likely to get more for your money, and you can choose what you actually need.’

The group said that if customers simply bought the 11 items deemed essential individually it would cost just £15 [File photo]