Trading Standards have seized around 200 ‘potentially unsafe’ hoverboards from Nottinghamshire retailers in less than six months.
In December Nottinghamshire County Council seized 19 from an importer based in the county who was selling them on Facebook for £240.
The authority has since suspended the sale of around 200 other hoverboards from different sellers.
“In the rush to meet demand, untested and potentially unsafe items have been imported in huge numbers,” a council spokesman said.
“Problems include the chargers and internal electrics, which do not meet European or UK standards and come with inadequate instructions.”
There have been numerous cases of unsafe hoverboards going up in flames nationally amidst fears that the products are poorly made.
And in December trading standards officers recovered a burnt hoverboard from a home in Nottinghamshire.
Picture: A hoverboard that caught fire in Nottinghamshire last year
In 2015 the Department of Transport ruled that hoverboards were not legal on the road or pavement and should only be used on private land.
Councillor Glynn Gilfoyle, Committee Chairman for Community Safety, at the council said: “We continue to reiterate to consumers to be very careful when buying hoverboards online and people should also bear in mind the advice on legal use.
“Since these products have come onto the market we have seen a rise in the number of people using them on public highways and pavements. The use of these products in public not only endangers the individual using the board, but also the general public.”
