Brits urged to avoid dangerous plug adaptors this summer - what to watch out for

Brits urged to avoid dangerous plug adaptors this summer - what to watch out forTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, Watch: Power adaptors fail fire resistance testingByLiv McMahonTechnology reporterPublished1 minute agoBrits going on holiday abroad this summer have been warned to watch out for dangerous travel adaptors, after an investigation suggested thousands may be for sale online.Consumer safety group Electrical Safety First (ESF) tested 14 products from AliExpress, Amazon Marketplace, eBay and TikTok Shop - and found they all failed to meet UK safety requirements.It said in some instances the devices could expose users to risk of serious electric shock or electrocution.AliExpress, Amazon, eBay and TikTok all said they had removed the products ESF flagged from sale, and that they treated product safety as a top priority.But Giuseppe Capanna, ESF product safety engineer, urged those "heading abroad this summer to think before they buy"."What looks like a bargain could come at a much higher cost," he warned.Capanna also said shoppers should buy travel adaptors from trusted retailers "so they can travel with confidence".ESF tested six regular travel adaptors and eight universal adaptors it suspected could pose safety concerns.To be sold in the UK, adaptors must not have accessible live parts and only one set of pins should come out at a time.But the charity found multiple sets could be exposed simultaneously in six out of eight of the universal adaptors it tested.None of the eight met the required dimensions and mechanical strength, while some pins snapped off under force during tests.ESF said anyone who tried to remove a broken pin from a socket would be at risk of electric shock.Image source, Electrical Safety FirstImage caption, A travel adaptor tested by Electrical Safety First was found to contain no surge protector, contrary to its labelsThe six basic trave...