CHRISTMAS shoppers in Teignbridge and the rest of Devon are being warned about the explosive dangers of this season’s ‘must have’ gift - the hoverboard.

County trading standards officers say there is a real risk of the popular presents catching fire or even blowing up.

They are urging purchasers to follow a 12-point safety checklist to make sure their gift doesn’t cause personal injury over the festive season.

Since October 15 more than 17,000 self-balancing scooters - or hoverboards - have been tested at entry points across the UK amid safety concerns.

More than 15,000 of them - nearly 90 per cent - had significant safety issues and were detained at the border by officers from National Trading Standards Safety at Ports & Borders teams.

Safety concerns include problems with the plug, cabling, charger, battery and the cut-off switch within the board, which often fails.

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

Officers at UK ports and borders have seen a huge spike in the number of the hazardous items arriving in recent weeks.

Faults have caused extensive damage to people’s property and National Trading Standards – in conjunction with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute – is urging consumers to be vigilant this Christmas and avoid putting households at risk with unsafe products.

Cllr Roger Croad, Devon County Council’s Cabinet member responsible for Devon and Somerset Trading Standards, said: ‘Our trading standards officers in Devon and Somerset are not aware of any distributors of hoverboards in this area and enquiries are being made to identify any retail suppliers of these products.

‘However, it is important that anyone in possession of one of these products, or considering buying one, follows the advice provided by National Trading Standards.’

The dozen pointers to be aware of are:

* Check the shape of the plug. The first unsafe products identified often had a clover-shaped plug. Also check the device for markings or traceable information, such as the name and contact details of the manufacturer and/or importer.

* If buying online, look closely at the website before you hit the ‘buy’ button.

* Try searching for reviews of the product or the seller. Do they seem genuine?  

* Are there lots of spelling or grammar mistakes on the site? This can be a clue that a business is not professionally run.  

* See if you can find out where the company’s head office is based – and whether that fits with how the website presents itself.

* Do they have a landline number you can call if there are any problems? If the company is based abroad it can be more difficult to get a complaint dealt with or return a faulty product.

* Read the small print. Notice if anything seems odd, repetitive or features incorrect English.

* Is there an ‘s’ at the end of the ‘http’ part of the web address, or is there a padlock symbol in the task bar? This means the website is using an encrypted system that keeps your details more secure.

* Don’t be dazzled by a bargain. If they look too good to be true, they probably are.

* Be aware that criminals exploit high demand. When items like self-balancing scooters start to sell out at well-known retailers, the void is quickly filled by crooks churning out poor quality imitations that can put people in danger.

* Report! National Trading Standards needs your help to clamp down on unsafe products from abroad. If you believe that any online or face-to-face seller is selling potentially dangerous goods, or something you’ve bought has made you suspicious, report it to Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06.

* Buying online for onward sale online means you are assuming the legal responsibilities of a business to ensure that what you’re selling complies with product safety and intellectual property legislation. For information visit https://www.gov.uk/starting-to-import.