Another 2,000 unsafe hover boards have been seized at Felixstowe port bring to total number of seizures by Suffolk trading standards officers to 7,000.

Seen as the ‘must-have’ toy this Christmas the latest discoveries were among three consignments which arrived at the docks from China.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk County Council said the stock was destined for various parts of the country, predominately for sale through the internet.

Around 30 consignments have now been examined at Felixstowe, equating to approximately 9,000 hover boards.

The spokeswoman said of these 7,000 were deemed to be unsafe.

Earlier this month trading standards officers urged shoppers to be vigilant after 14 boards were seized at a shop in Ipswich town centre.

They were on sale for a bargain price of £270.

However, as they had no safety fuses, a two-pronged plug and no manufacturer or supplier details, the boards were said to have breached health and safety regulations.

At the time 1,500 of the toys had been confiscated at the Port of Felixstowe from nine consignments due to concerns over the safety of the chargers.

Following those seizures Sarah Stamp, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for communities, said: “These interventions by the officers monitoring sales on our high streets and the imports team working at the Port of Felixstowe, demonstrate the vital role played by officers in protecting people, across the UK from unsafe products.

“There has been an increase in the number of incidents being reported of faulty electrical goods causing fires, particularly cheap, unbranded and fake chargers – many of which fail to meet UK safety regulations.”

The boards have featured in gadget retailer Red 5’s list of top 10 most popular items this festive season.

The popularity of the Back to the Future films, where Marty McFly travels to October 26, 2015 in the second instalment of the series, is also thought to be influential in its popularity.

Suffolk Trading Standards has advised shoppers to make sure any hover boards they buy have the three-pin-plug, importer and manufacturer information, instructions in English, and carry the ‘CE’ mark.