Samsung Galaxy Note7 set to be recalled over fire risk

Following reports of exploding handsets worldwide, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has advised all Samsung Galaxy Note7 owners to "power them down and stop charging or using the device."

The CPSC has said that it is working with Samsung to "formally announce an official recall of the devices, as soon as possible".

A statement released by the Commission says: "This consumer warning is based on recent reports involving lithium-ion batteries in certain Note7 devices that have resulted in fires.

"These incidents have occurred while charging and during normal use, which has led us to call for consumers to power down their Note7s."

The warning comes just hours after passengers were told to not use the phones on planes, amid concerns over batteries catching fire.

Samsung said last week that it discovered an issue with battery cells, and that it would issue customers who already have Galaxy Note7 smartphones with new ones in the "coming weeks".

In a statement, the tech giant said: "To date (as of September 1) there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally and we are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market.

"However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note7.

"For customers who already have Galaxy Note7 devices, we will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks."