Since self-balancing scooters were banned in London, things haven’t been going well for the burgeoning ‘hoverboard’ scene in the UK.
More bad news came this week as Trading Standards announced that it had identified 15,000 unsafe hoverboards during recent inspections.
Ahead of the Christmas influx, officers have evaluated more than 17,000 of the devices at various ports throughout the UK.
Since beginning on October 15th, 15,000 of those inspected were classified as dangerous and subsequently detained at UK points of entry.
This means that 88% of hoverboards coming into the country since October 15th have issues with internal batteries, cut-off switches, plugs, chargers, and cables.
Related: Christmas 2015 Gift Guide
Several of the scooters came with plugs which had no fuses in, posing a big safety concern due to the risk of overheating and possible explosions.
The number of self-balancing scooters coming into the country has spiked in recent weeks as sellers prepare for Christmas.
Lord Toby Harris, Chair of National Trading Standards, says that his teams are ‘working around the clock to prevent dangerous items from entering the supply chain,’ and has urged consumers to be vigilant.
Trading Standards has produced a checklist designed to help consumers tell if the device they are buying is safe. It can be found here.
Leon Livermore, Chief Executive, Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), said: “Criminals and irresponsible manufacturers will often exploit high demand and attempt to flood the market with cheap and dangerous products.
“Some products that are made abroad, principally for the overseas market, are not fitted with the correct plug and fuse for use in the UK.
“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.”
You can contact Trading Standards about any products you think are unsafe on 03454 04 05 06.
Will you be avoiding hoverboard mania this Christmas? Let us know in the comments.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
