Amazon offers refunds on hoverboards following fires and explosions

A hoverboard seized by Inverclyde Trading Standards Credit: Trading Standards

Amazon has announced it will offer full refunds on all hoverboards bought from the online retailer following growing concerns about the safety of the toy.

US Consumer Product Safety Commission praised Amazon's decision to offer refunds on the products, and urged other retailers and manufacturers to do the same.

There has been a spate of reports of hoverboards exploding and catching fire, including a case in California where two dogs died in what the fire department suspected was a house fire caused by a charging hoverboard.

In the UK there have been similar reports, including the case of a mother who was burned on her arms and legs when her son's hoverboard exploded.

A self-balancing scooter that caught fire while charging at a home in London Credit: London Fire Brigade

Many retailers have already recalled thousands of hoverboards and a senior fire officer has told people not to buy them.

Trading Standards revealed last December that more than 17,000 hoverboards imported from beyond the EU have been examined, of which over 15,000 (88%) failed basic safety checks.

The investigation revealed safety issues with the plug, cabling, charger, battery or the cutoff switch within the board, which often fails.

Amazon UK sent an email to customers on December 15 last year offereing refunds on hoverboards to customers.