Consumers throughout the north east are being warned to be aware of faulty phone chargers that can burst into flames.
Trading Standards officers say that they have become aware of two incidents where phone chargers purchased locally came close to causing serious incidents.
They have warned purchasers of USB type chargers bearing the serial number A1299 to stop using them and return them to the retailer they purchased them from immediately.
A spokesman said: “One of these chargers was bought in Banff and when it was plugged into a device there was a white flash, loud bang and the back of the charger blew off.
“The charger is a USB type and has the serial number A1299 – if this model is found stop using it immediately and return it to the retailer.”
Risks relating to the wide range of electrical goods now commonplace in most homes has greatly increased in recent years, with mains chargers for USB devices increasingly common on mobile phones and tablet computers.
Electrical Safety First say that product misuse is now the main cause of accidental fires in UK homes: “We understand that people purchase cheap, unofficial chargers in order to make a short-term saving – but the costs can be so much greater in the long run.”