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The chargers are mostly imported from Asia and sold through sites like Ebay.

Because of the high cost of original units, the trade-in replacement and counterfeit devices has burgeoned in recent years. Third-party chargers can cost a third of the price of official units from the manufacturer, so many owners have turned to auction sites for accessories.

The charger mentioned specifically in the warning bears the product code DE 62347066, which is a replacement unit for Nintendo devices.

"We are alerting consumers to potential electric shock and overheating problems we have found in certain non-branded gaming machine chargers imported from China and typically sold through online sites," says the warning posted on Buckinghamshire Council's Trading Standards website.

"The chargers were supplied as accessories for charging Nintendo DS and DS Lite machines, although they could also be used to charge Gameboy machines."

Last year Suffolk council issued a similar warning around cheaply made mobile phone chargers after one customer witnessed hers "explode" after she had plugged it in.