Nokia halts UK Lumia 2520 sales after faulty charger warning

Around 30,000 devices affected in major issue for Finnish firm

Nokia has suffered a major setback in its attempts to build its share of the tablet market as it has been forced to halt sales of its Lumia 2520 device - video review embedded below - due to faulty chargers.

The Finnish firm said the AC-300 charger sold with the tablet posed a risk of electric shocks as the plastic cover of the charger could work itself loose.

"If loose and separated, certain internal components pose a hazard of an electric shock if touched while the plug remains in a live socket," the firm said about the incident.

As a precaution the device has been withdrawn from sale in the UK as well as Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Russia and Switzerland. In the US, the travel charger accessory for the plug has been withdrawn too.

In total some 30,000 chargers are said to have been impacted by the warning, hinting at the number of devices Nokia has sold since the Lumia 2520's launch to market.

Executive vice president of Smart Devices for Nokia Jo Harlow apologised for the issue and said the firm was working as quickly as possible to resolve it. "While there have been no confirmed consumer incidents related to this potential quality issue, product quality and safety are top priorities at Nokia," she added.

The firm also offered some answers to key questions that users of the device may have. Nokia added that without being able to use the charger, which is bespoke to the device, it is "virtually useless".

"We apologise to the owners of the Lumia 2520, and we are working with urgency to minimise the inconvenience," was the stock response the firm gave.

The issue comes just as Microsoft is on the verge of completing its acquisition of Nokia, having received approval for the deal from Chinese regulators earlier this month.