200 unsafe hoverboards removed from sale in Notts

The county council’s community safety team has suspended the sale of the self-balancing scooters also known as hoverboards from retailers across the county to prevent them getting into the marketplace.

It follows tests on the hoverboards which have concluded that they are unsafe. A further 20 hoverboards deemed unsafe by the county council could also be destroyed if court orders can be obtained.

Nationally, major safety issues include plugs without fuses, faulty cabling, unsafe chargers and defective cut-off switches within the product itself. Boards have been known to overheat, explode or catch fire. A number of high profile retailers subsequently issued product recalls amid concerns over the safety their products.

Councillor Glynn Gilfoyle, Committee Chairman for Community Safety, at Nottinghamshire County 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.”