As the baffling craze for motorised hoverboards continues to grow so to does the demand, which has inevitably led to dodgy knock-offs and faulty products that the most lucrative of hustlers could sell outside the back of their uncle's van.
It's been reported that Trading Standards officers have seized over 15,000 hoverboards/swegways after being deemed unsafe for the general public. 17,000 of the motorised balance boards made it into the ports and airports in the UK but after examination 88% of them were judged to be too dangerous due to ‘a range of concerns’. Issues including: batteries, cut-off switches, chargers, plugs and cabling were among the many concerns.
Despite preventing this current shipment from being stocked in stores Trading Standards have said many are entering the country without the appropriate plugs. Accidents have already occurred due to the current craze, even causing some houses to actually go up in flames. CEO for the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, Leon Livermore explained:
"Criminals and irresponsible manufacturers will often exploit high demand and attempt to flood the market with cheap and dangerous products. Consumers should not let a new fashion or craze cloud their judgement and remain vigilant at all times, to avoid taking home an unsafe product."
