diff --git a/tools/check_for_datafiles.py b/tools/check_for_datafiles.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7dcbb5738
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/check_for_datafiles.py
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+"""FUNCTION TO CHECK FOR DATA FILES IN NON-WHITELISTED FOLDERS."""
+
+import glob
+from pathlib import Path
+
+file_extensions = [
+    "csv",
+    "xlsx",
+    "xls",
+    "parquet",
+    "tsv",
+    "hdf5",
+    "h5",
+    "pickle",
+    "pkl",
+    "db",
+    "sqlite",
+    "sqlite3",
+    "orc",
+]
+whitelist_folders = [
+    "/venv",
+    "/vizro-core/docs",
+    "/vizro-ai/tests/integration/reports",
+]  # starting from project root dir
+
+
+def check_for_data_files():
+    """Recursively finds all data files in non-whitelisted folders.
+
+    Raises:
+        AssertionError if data files are present in non-whitelisted folders.
+
+    """
+    project_dir = str(Path(__file__).parent.parent)
+    whitelist_dir = {f"{project_dir}{dir}" for dir in whitelist_folders}
+
+    found_files = {file for ext in file_extensions for file in glob.glob(project_dir + f"/**/*.{ext}", recursive=True)}
+    whitelisted_files = {files for dir in whitelist_dir for files in found_files if files.startswith(dir)}
+    to_be_removed_files = found_files - whitelisted_files
+
+    assert len(to_be_removed_files) == 0, (
+        f"Caution! Please remove your data files {to_be_removed_files} before merging!"
+    )
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    check_for_data_files()