THE HOT gift this Christmas could land recipients in hot water.
Youngsters, and even a few adults, will be waking up in Warwickshire to find a Hoverboard in their stocking this year – but police are warning people of restrictions on where users can ride them.
It is illegal to ride the self-balancing scooters on the pavement and they have also been banned from roads because they are not road-legal vehicles.
The Crown Prosecution Service and the Department for Transport advise they should only be used on private land such as gardens.
Sgt Bob Wills of Warwickshire Police insisted the force was not being Scrooge-like in its festive warning.
He said: “If you have purchased one for Christmas, or your children already have one, please just make sure they do not go on the roads or pavements. Not only can it be dangerous but it also illegal.
“We don’t want to dampen anyone’s Christmas spirit and by all means they can play on them in the garden or house but please make sure your children know where they can and can’t use them.”
There have also been reports of Hoverboards bursting into flames when they have been plugged in to charge, and even as riders are using them.
