The ECB has written to parents of children signed up to its All Stars Cricket and Dynamos Cricket programmes asking them to discard previously supplied plastic equipment over concerns about the levels of chemicals present.

Independent testing confirmed that balls used in both programmes, as well as the Dynamos batting tee and PVC promotional banners given to clubs, all contained phthalates - a group of chemicals used to make plastics flexible - and should no longer be used.

Although there was determined to be no direct risk to participants using the balls, and the ECB was not required to issue a recall notice by the regulatory authorities, cricket's governing body in England and Wales said it had taken action "out of an abundance of caution".

"The independent testing we conducted has found that the phthalates in these items were at levels in excess of those permitted by relevant regulations," Cordelia Brown, the ECB's head of national programmes, wrote.

"To better understand the issue, we instructed an external expert company to conduct a risk assessment in relation to the balls which has not identified any direct risk to participants in the programmes in respect of the balls. Both Trading Standards and the Office for Product Safety and Standards have been informed of this issue in relation to the balls, and neither has indicated a need to recall the balls already in circulation from previous years' programmes.

"However, the safety of participants, volunteers and staff is our priority, and out of an abundance of caution, would advise that the balls should no longer be used."

The ECB's two youth programmes - All Stars is aimed at 5-8 year-olds, Dynamos 8-11 - were launched in 2017 to drive participation levels. Children signing up for All Stars previously received a bag, bat and ball. As a result of the investigation, the ECB has reduced the price of All Stars from 40 to 30, with the introductory equipment no longer part of the deal.

Clubs running the national programmes have been advised to use tennis balls until new supplies of phthalate-free balls arrive. The guidance does not apply to bats or stumps previously issued by the ECB.

Start dates for All Stars and Dynamos this summer have already been pushed back due to delays in kit provision.