Nikon's D600 cameras are defective in design and should be recalled, a senior official with a quality watchdog said yesterday.

The current regulations only state that authorities can order a recall if the products pose safety concerns, said Shen Weimin, deputy director of the Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau.

But there was no legal support to order a recall of cameras, Shen said.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine was reworking on the consumer goods law, which will help in addressing the issue, Shen said.

The controversy over the Nikon D600 cameras began when customers complained that the images were speckled with black dots.

The issue featured on a news program aired on CCTV on March 15, World Consumer Rights Day.

Nikon was told to stop selling D600 cameras in China. It promised customers who had already bought them it would replace them.

The bureau has also said that a local standard on technical requirements for escalators will come into effect next month.

The new guidelines detail the circumstances under which essentials like handrail and bracing structure should be invalidated and replaced.

There are some escalators in the city which have been in use for more than 15 years, and some posed safety hazards, Shen said.