Media News - Monday, July 21, 2008

Unsafe chargers ‘flooding’ UK

Hundreds of thousands of unsafe chargers for mobile phones, games consoles and music devices could have made their way into the United Kingdom. Trading standards officers studying dangerous chargers being imported from China say vast numbers are available on the Internet and in shops. Their tests show one brand can overheat or cause electrocution. One of the chargers concerned has the code marking DE62347066. Others have no code and are called Travel Charger. A specific warning has already been issued about chargers for Nintendo DS and DS Lite machines, but which could also be used to charge Gameboy machines. Trading standards officers are trying to recall the chargers. But Chris Holden, senior trading standards officer at Buckinghamshire County Council, told the BBC that investigations were shedding light on a much bigger problem. Some chargers carry a CE safety mark which officers believe to be fake. Officers have primarily found unsafe chargers for use with games consoles, although others are available to use with music devices and mobile phones. Wires become detached after being used for a while leading to a risk of electric shocks. The pins do not fit properly into UK sockets causing overheating. (BBC)

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