While the U.S. might be on its way to outlawing hoverboards outright, they're still more or less legal in the UK — but while hoverboards, along with Segways, have been banned from sidewalks, roads and footpaths since 2011 in the United Kingdom, they're more or less perfectly legal. While this might be the case, it hasn't stopped Amazon UK from refunding customers who purchased potentially combustible boards on its site, or halting officials from the Surrey County Council at Heathrow Airport from testing out hoverboards imported from Hong Kong, many of which, apparently, are a serious safety hazard.
According to the council's newsletter, the Surrey County Council News, officers "intercepted a £7,000 ($9,760.80 USD) consignment of 51 self-balancing boards imported from China and sent them for testing to see if they complied with electrical safety standards" after officers noted some "possible safety risks."
So many of the boards were deemed unfit to ride that, in the end, the council members piled them up to be destroyed — and photos taken of the mound of rejected, substantively pernicious self-balancing two-wheelers that photographs taken of them are reminiscent of an actual elephant graveyard.
Another 90 hoverboards were subsequently added to the pile.
Much like a towed-away car that never gets taken out of the lot, the hoverboards were impounded — which rattled the sensitive Lithium-ion batteries inside, the very reasons why hoverboards overheat and spontaneously combust in the first place.
The Surrey County Council News uploaded pics of the hoverboard elephant graveyard onto Flickr on Feb. 18.
"Our vigilant trading standards officers sent these products to be tested for electrical problems which confirmed their suspicions that the boards could put people's safety at risk," said council cabinet member Richard Walsh on the stringent measures, adding, "We would urge anyone considering giving a hoverboard for Christmas to do their homework before buying and follow the advice from National Trading Standards."
Check out some photos of the place where hoverboards go to die below, courtesy of the Surrey County Council News.
Photo: Surrey County Council News | Flickr
