Amazon puts the brakes on some hoverboard sales

Cheap, imitation self-balancing scooters reportedly caught fire while charging

The online retailer has stopped stocking several models amid growing safety concerns

Amazon has pulled several models of self-balancing scooters from sale amid safety fears, following a string of incidents in which they have caught fire while recharging.

The move comes as a man accused of stealing a crate of Lucozade while using a hoverboard in a supermarket is set to make legal history by becoming the first person to be charged for riding one.

Omaree Lindsay, 19, from Croydon, Surrey, will face what is thought to be one of the first prosecutions tomorrow, after he was allegedly filmed riding in to a branch of Co-op and out again with the drinks. He will appear on bail at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court charged with theft, failure to comply with a court order and driving a self-balancing scooter on a pavement.

In October the Metropolitan Police warned that the scooters, which have become one of the must-have gadgets of the Christmas season, are illegal to ride on public roads and pavements.

Since then there have been several incidents in which boards have set alight while they were recharging.

Yesterday Salford City Council said a supply of “dangerous” hoverboards worth £100,000 were seized from businesses in Manchester.

The imitation brands were being sold at two businesses in Salford before trading standards teams stepped in.

NowAmazon has reportedly responded to safety fears by writing to manufacturers askingthemto“providedocumentation 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)”.

Consumer affairs website BestReviews posted a message on its hoverboard reviews page to warn that all scooters featured had been removed from Amazon and were no longer available to buy through the website.

BestReviews said: “There have been numerous media reports of hoverboards catching on fire. For the time being, we are not recommending any hoverboards until they are proven to be safe.”

Earlier this month, National Trading Standards authorities in England, Scotland and Wales warned that the majority of self-balancing scooters imported into the UKwere deemed to be unsafe, with almost 90 per cent of those tested – 15,000 of 17,000 – failing to pass basic UK safety standards.

At the time, Lord Toby Harris, chair of the National Trading Standards (NTS) board, said: “Our teams have seen a significant spike in the number of unsafe ‘hoverboards’ arriving at national entry points in recent weeks and are working around the clock to prevent dangerous items from entering the supply chain.”

With demand for the gadgets increasing in the run up to Christmas, NTS has warned consumers to avoid cheaper imitation brands that are infiltrating the market.

Dozens of reports from across the UK and abroad have demonstrated images of the so-called hoverboards setting on fire, exploding and in some cases causing harm to their owners.

Last month a hoverboard exploded and caused £25,000 worth of damage to a house in Kent after consumer Paul Hodkinson, who bought the device as a Christmas present for his grandchildren, left it to charge.

Earlier this month, shoppers in a mall in Washington in the USwere sent into a panic when a hoverboard exploded, causing a fire in the sales kiosk where it was displayed.

Despite concerns over cheaper imitation brands infiltrating the British market, high-end brand boards including IO Hawk are still available to buy in British stores and demand is expected to rise even more during the run up to Christmas.

Julia Wing, director of Spymaster, which supplies highend retailers Harrods and Selfridges, said the stores were not concerned about recent scare stories surrounding the gadgets, which they refer to as “e-boards”.

“We’re very pleased that these products are being checked so rigorously,” she said. “With regards to safety, every single e-board we supply has a safety certificate, unlike some cheaper copies. Since a large proportion of consumers will be buying these boards for their children, it’s so important to make sure you’re buying from a reputable company.”

Ms Wing expects Spymaster to shift 700 boards before Christmas, with more than 2,000 sold in the supplier’s three main London stores in the past 12 months.

Amazon could not be reached for comment.

Shoppers in a US mall were sent into a panic when a hoverboard exploded, causing a fire