AutoJare cordless drill import rejected at border over charger plug fire risk, OPSS reports

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has published a product safety report on an AutoJare multi-function cordless drill, rated a high risk of fire, after the import was rejected at the border.

The regulator published the report on 13 October 2026 under Product Safety Database (PSD) notification number 2609-0230. The case was notified by Local Authority Trading Standards.

According to the report, the charger's plug is not designed for use in the UK and does not meet the requirements of BS 1363. If the charger is used with an incompatible adaptor, the report said, a fault could occur and the battery could overheat.

The plug also has no fuse protection, which the report said is required to ensure the plug operates safely under fault conditions.

The product

The report describes the product as a black and yellow multi-function cordless drill supplied with a power supply and a swappable lithium battery. The battery charger is model ZY-210 and the country of origin is China.

Beyond the plug, the report said improvements were required to the product's safety instructions, documentation and markings. It said the product did not meet the requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008.

Those regulations, statutory instrument 2008 No. 1597, set out essential health and safety requirements for the design and construction of machinery. They also contain provisions on offences and penalties and on the general duties and powers of enforcement authorities.

Earlier charger report

OPSS published a separate report in November 2025 on a lithium-ion battery charger for a cordless drill. That charger was rated a serious fire risk because it had insufficient breakdown isolation and a plug that did not meet BS 1363. In that case the import was rejected at the border and destroyed.

The November 2025 report also cited the Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994.

Fire notifications

According to OPSS's PSD report covering 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, the database received 2,396 notifications in total. Fire was the most frequently notified harm type, with 424 notifications, or 30% of those with a harm type assigned.

OPSS said the PSD is used by local authority trading standards, or environmental health in Northern Ireland, by certain national regulators and by OPSS enforcement teams to notify unsafe products.

The regulator

OPSS, which was created in January 2018, regulates most consumer goods other than food, medicines and vehicles. It says its primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm.

The full report, including the product image and PDF, is published on GOV.UK under notification 2609-0230.