80pc of plugs sold in HK 'dangerous'

MORE than 80 per cent of the electric plugs sold in Hong Kong are defective and potentially dangerous, the Consumer Council warned yesterday.

Some designs are so bad a person could be electrocuted plugging them into the wall; other plugs simply fall apart.

Tests on 22 brands sold in supermarkets and department stores revealed only four were up to international standards.

A careless person could easily get a lethal electric shock using five of the brands because the metal plug pins were too close to the edge of the plug.

The plastic casing on three other brands cracked after they had been used less than 1,000 times - well within a plug's normal usage.

And one brand was so bad it had both faults.

The council renewed its call for strict safety standards for all electrical appliances, for sub-standard goods to be banned and for anyone selling them to be fined heavily.