Russell Crowe hits out at Virgin Australia's hoverboard ban

Hollywood star Russell Crowe has hit out at Virgin Australia after he and his children were told they could not take hoverboards on a flight.

The actor and producer labelled the airline "ridiculous" and complained that he was not told of the policy when he booked the tickets. He said he and his children were "offloaded" as a result.

Virgin responded by saying that they had been banned because of safety issues and said the 51-year-old would have been informed of the rules in emails.

The boards were high on many people's Christmas lists this year, but have been subject to a number of safety warnings. Many major airlines have also banned them from being taken on board.

On Tuesday, the Oscar-winner tweeted:

The airline wrote back in a series of tweets: "Hi Russell, due to safety concerns over the lithium ion batteries in hoverboards, these have been banned on all major Australian airlines and many around the world. We're sorry you were not aware of this prior to check-in today. We hope to see you on board again soon."

Seemingly not satisfied with the response, Crowe wrote back: "Why did you not inform me when I booked my ticket? Where is your duty of responsibility in this?"

Virgin Australia sent Crowe another series of tweets, saying the information was outlined in the booking confirmation and check-in reminder emails.

It added: "We understand your frustration, however please appreciate that safety is our number one priority."

The issue surrounding hoverboards on flights began when fears were raised that the batteries that power them could catch fire.

Earlier this month, Amazon stopped selling the products because of safety concerns.