Parents are being reminded not to give chocolate mini eggs to small children this Easter because the treats are a choking hazard.

The Child Accident Prevention Trust has issued a series of warnings in the run up to celebrations later this month urging parents to be mindful of the danger.

Packets of Cadbury mini eggs all carry red warnings on their packets, making it clear that the chocolate isn’t suitable for children under the age of four.

And in a series of tweets the charity – which compares chocolate eggs encased in a hard shell with the risks associated with giving children whole grapes, is urging parents to follow the warnings because the sweets are a ‘perfect size’ to block a child’s airway.

In its statement on social media the Child Accident Prevention Trust wrote: “It’s that time of year again when mini eggs are lining the supermarket shelves.

“But did you know that just like grapes, they are the perfect size to block a small child’s airway and choke them? That’s why they aren’t recommended for small children.”

It added: “With whole grapes, we advise cutting them in half lengthways and ideally into quarters to create thin strips.

“But chopping up mini eggs isn't as easy. So, what can you do?”

Further advice on the Trust’s website explains that it is the chocolate’s smooth hard coating that makes the eggs – and other round sweets with a hard outside edge – ‘slippery’ and therefore unsuitable, because there is a risk, along with their size, that they’ll accidentally slip down without being properly chewed.