Hundreds of imported leaf blowers seized at port

Hundreds of unsafe leaf blowers that pose a fire risk have been seized by trading standards officers at the Port of Felixstowe.

Testing found they had poor quality soldering that created a fire hazard if a wire became loose.

The 300 blowers had been imported from China and were destined for sale on Amazon, but the listings have been removed from the site and the blowers will be destroyed.

In a statement, Suffolk Trading Standards urged people to "only buy products from a reputable retailer".

As well as the poor soldering, the leaf blowers had crushed wires inside and the batteries failed tests.

There were instruction manuals but they were missing the importer's name and address as well as any relevant warnings.

"The manual states the product can function as a grinder, sander, wire brush, polisher, hole cutter or cut-off tool, none of which relate to the product imported," trading standards added.

"If buying on an online marketplace such as Amazon or eBay, make sure you check the details of the seller and that they have a UK address.

"Check the reviews for the product to see what others have said, and remember if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is."

It is a criminal offence to supply unsafe or non-compliant products, and importers are responsible for ensuring that all products comply with UK safety legislation.

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