Christmas shoppers should be wary when looking for one of this year’s ‘must-have’ gifts, say trading standards watchdogs.

Herts County Council’s consumer team has issued a warning after safety issues were identified with some hover boards.

There have been serious incidents around the country where hover board batteries have exploded or caught fire.

Many of the imported products which have flooded the UK market are of poor quality and do not meet current safety standards. Safety issues with these products include unsafe plugs as well as batteries or chargers which can overheat and explode.

Officers have seized boards from one shop and a number of other county-based businesses and importers have also been supplying similar products.

Councillor Richard Thake, who has the community safety brief at County Hall, said: “If you have already bought a hover board we would advise not to charge your product overnight or leave it unattended while charging.”

You can call 03454 040506 for further advice.