Council warning over unsafe “hoverboards”

THOUSANDS of unsafe “hoverboards”, a must-have on Christmas lists this year, have been seized over the past seven weeks according to National Trading Standards.
More than 15,000 self-balancing scooters have been detained due to major safety concerns including issues with the plug, cabling, charger, battery or cut-off switch within the board.
Officers at UK ports and borders have seen a huge spike in the number of these items arriving in recent weeks, destined to end up as gifts under the tree this Christmas.
Many of the items seized and sent for testing have been found to have non-compliant plugs without fuses, which increase the risk of the device overheating, exploding or catching fire.
In recent months these faults have caused extensive damage to people’s property and National Trading Standards – in conjunction with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute  – is urging consumers to be vigilant this Christmas
and avoid putting households at risk with unsafe products.
Peter Astley, assistant director for regulation and public protection at Warrington, said: “Trading Standards teams at sea ports, postal hubs and airports are working around-the-clock to prevent dangerous items entering the supply chain.
“At this time of year, consumers are under pressure to get the best presents for their loved  ones, however it is important that their safety is put above all else. Protecting consumers from harm is our top priority and I urge consumers to be on their guard when purchasing products.
“Shoppers should think twice before choosing products from a website that does not appear genuine, and the checklist that National Trading Standards has produced is extremely useful.
“As a minimum, consumers should check that the three pin plug on the device states it is made to BS 1363. If it doesn’t include this information, then don’t buy the product.
“I urge anyone who has bought a hover board that doesn’t comply or has other concerns about the safety of the product to report it to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline.”
Cllr Judith Guthrie, Warrington Borough Council’s member for environment and public protection, said: “Consumers should not let a new fashion or craze cloud their judgement and remain alert at all times, to avoid taking home an unsafe product.
“Criminals and irresponsible manufacturers will often exploit high demand and attempt to flood the market with cheap and dangerous products.
“Trading standards services take product safety extremely seriously but retailers must share this responsibility, to stop substandard products entering the marketplace.”
“I urge anyone who suspects a hoverboard not to be genuine to report it to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline.”