Amazon Suspends Hoverboard Sales

Amazon has stopped selling hoverboards amid fears they could burst into flames.

17:47 15 December 2015

Amazon has suspended the sale of "hoverboards" on its US and UK sites amid fears that they are unsafe for use.

 

Hoverboards are now extremely popular and are one of the most popular tech gifts this Christmas.

 

However, warnings have been issued by the Trading Standards based on reports that counterfeit hoverboards are being imported into the country to take advantage of the Christmas demand. In recent weeks, 17,000 of these gadgets have been seized at ports and airports and 88per cent of them were found to be defective.

 

These fake boards are deemed unsafe, as many have caught fire while they were charging.

 

It is believed that the fire is caused by batteries use in cheaper models, which were mostly produced in China then rebranded.

 

Leon Livermore, of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: “Consumers should check the three-pin plug on the device states it is made to BS1363.

 

"If it doesn’t include this information, don’t buy it.”

 

Swegway, one of the companies that sold hoverboard on Amazon, confirmed that the concerns were primarily about the batteries and chargers.

 

It said: "Amazon just sent out a notice to all hoverboard sellers to 'provide documentation demonstrating that all hoverboards you list are compliant with applicable safety standards, including UN 38.3 (battery), UL 1642 (battery), and UL 60950-1 (charger)'."