Urgent safety recall for popular children’s Christmas present

The Air Runner Balance Board - one of this year’s most coveted gifts - was yesterday recalled due to a potentially lethal electrical fault.

But it is feared hundreds of the boards may already be giftwrapped and sitting under Christmas trees all over Bucks and beyond.

Bucks Fire and Rescue service is now urging parents to unwrap the present and check whether its serial number matches the recalled products.

Though the recall notice was issued nationally through Halfords, the boards have also been widely available from other top suppliers.

It was still possible today to buy them from several sites online.

A Bucks Fire and Rescue spokesman said: “Our concern is that there may still be affected hoverboards already bought and wrapped for Christmas in people’s homes, ready to be charged up on Christmas Eve.”

The serial numbers affected are 190375, 192470 and 192488. Halfords say these were supplied with “non-compliant and substandard” plugs and chargers that could prove a hazard to the users.

It is understood there is no safety cut-off function to prevent the battery pack or charger from overheating.

Earlier this month a Bucks woman was injured after an Air Runner board belonging to her 10-year-old son exploded in a bedroom, sending burning fragments flying across the room.

A Bucks Fire and Rescue spokesman said: “The boy’s mother threw a duvet over it to smother the fire. She was treated in hospital for minor burns to her back and hands.”

Other fire services have reported similar incidents, with one Kent family suffering £25,000 damage after a board exploded in their kitchen.