Amazon 'Pulls Hoverboards Amid Safety Fears'

Amazon's UK website appears to have stopped selling hoverboards pending safety reviews amid fears some models could explode or catch fire.

The self-balancing scooters are tipped to be one of this year's must-have Christmas presents.

But earlier this month it was revealed National Trading Standards (NTS) have confiscated 15,000 of them at ports and airports around the UK since October over concerns about cheap and dangerous imitations.

Many of the boards had non-compliant plugs without fuses, which increase the risk of the device overheating, exploding or catching fire, and cut-off switches which failed when tested.

Chargers, cabling and batteries were also found to fail safety standards.

There have been a number of incidents where hoverboards have reportedly caught fire and the Wired website claimed one of the main reasons was low quality batteries as well as defective chargers.

Swagway, a major seller of hoverboards, has reportedly said Amazon has questioned sellers about safety standards - and the tech giant appears to have removed boards from its UK website although accessories are still available.

The Verge website quoted a Swagway spokesperson as saying: "Amazon just sent out a notice to all hoverboard sellers to 'provide documentation demonstrating that all hoverboards you list are compliant with applicable safety standards, including UN 38.3 (battery), UL 1642 (battery), and UL 60950-1 (charger)'.

"Swagway already meets all those certifications and is happy that Amazon has decided to take steps to weed out the low quality boards.

"As safety is always on the forefront for Swagway, we're glad that this is taking place, especially in light of recent concerns with the fires with the poor quality batteries."

BestReview reported the five models which it reviews for consumers were not available on the Amazon store, including listings by Swagway and other popular brands.

However, some hoverboards seem to be still available on the US Amazon website.

The self-balancing scooters have grown in popularity but they are controversial and some US airlines have banned them.

Although they are powered vehicles, hoverboards are regarded as unsafe on British roads, and cannot be licensed or registered under the Highway Act 1835.

But in England, Wales and Scotland, it is also an offence to take them for a spin on the pavement and they can only be used on private land.

Last week, a 15-year-old boy riding a hoverboard was killed after colliding with a bus in Alperton, west London.

Sky News has asked Amazon for a comment.

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