Mild green sees red

First it was expensive cheeses, then it was artisan meats...now it is washing up liquid. Russia has banned Britain's favourite cleaning products by claiming they are dangerous, in its latest protest over sanctions placed on the nation. The seemingly endless list of foreign products deemed unfit for the Russian public simply because they were produced in the West has seen detergents torn from the shelves. Authorities in the increasingly isolated state now claim international brands of soap pose health risks to its citizens and have begun clearing them from supermarket shelves. It comes just a day after paranoid Russian officials briefly banned the hugely-popular internet encyclopaedia, Wikipedia. The Russian Consumer Protection Agency said inspections of goods by top brands including Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble - which manufactures Fairy Liquid and Ariel washing powder - have found high levels of toxic ingredients in them. Moscow extended its ban earlier this month to include a variety of food imports from the European Union and other countries.

Bizarrely Russia has not yet banned the imports of detergents or washing liquids, and most of the producers mentioned by the agency still have production facilities in Russia. The latest development appears to show the Russian Government is intent on cracking down on international companies headquartered in the US or Europe. Procter & Gamble said it was "committed to ensuring that our products are safe to use and meet or exceed regulations where they are marketed. A spokesperson added: "We believe our products are in compliance with the regulations in Russia and are seeking to work with the [agency] to resolve this matter as quickly as possible."