Christmas Must-have ‘Swegway’ Devices Deemed Dangerous

Product liability experts have warned consumers hoping to buy this year’s ‘must-have’ Christmas gadget to exercise ‘extreme caution,’ after testing revealed they were at risk of exploding or bursting into flames. 

The strong advice comes after of thousands of the popular ‘hoverboards’ were impounded at UK ports. 

UK Trading Standards have revealed that more than 17,000 hoverboards imported from beyond the EU have been examined over the last seven weeks, of which over 15,000 (88%) failed basic safety checks. 

The futuristic gadget – also known as a self-balancing scooter, eboard or swegway is tipped to top the Christmas list this year, but there have been reports that poor quality, imported versions are a fire hazard. 

High street retailer Halfords issued a recall of its Air Runner Balance Board, after it was found that some of the £499 products had been sold with a mains plug and charger that failed to meet British standards. 

Wholesaler Costco have also issued a safety notice over Air Runner hoverboards sold in their UK stores, warning of unsafe plugs which pose an electrocution risk. 

Officers at UK ports, airports and borders have reported a huge spike in the number of the items arriving in recent weeks, with testing revealing safety issues with the plug, cabling, charger, battery or the cutoff switch within the board, which often fails. 

Many of the items were found to have non-compliant plugs without fuses, which increases the risk of the device overheating, exploding or even catching fire. 

Demand for the boards, used by Brooklyn Beckham, Lily Allen and Usain Bolt, is so high that John Lewis has already sold out and does not expect to be able to replenish its stock in time for Christmas. 

Fire brigades in London and Buckinghamshire have been called out to fires caused by the battery pack or charger overheating and having no safety cutoff function, while a Kent family suffered £25,000 of damage to their house after a hoverboard exploded in their kitchen.

Associate solicitor and product liability specialist at Irwin Mitchell, Tim Annett, said consumers needed to exercise extreme caution when purchasing a hoverboard.

Our expert personal injury lawyers will provide you with free initial advice on your compensation claim if you have been injured as a result of a faulty or defective hoverboard. See our Faulty Hoverboard Claims page for more information.