Motorcyclists who have bought a Jiekai helmet of the JK 100 or JK 1000 model have been urged to stop using it right away and return it their supplier because of concerns about safety.

Recently, a small number of the helmets were seized from a supplier in Peterborough and local Trading Standards officers are worried that the potentially lethal helmets might have been sold elsewhere as well, Peterborough Today reports.

Some of the recovered helmets went through tests and failed to meet impact and energy absorbing requirements, meaning that they are not able to give riders adequate protection. The tests also revealed that the chin strap can be pulled apart by hand and that the helmets also had a chin cup, which is prohibited under European safety standards.

These test results are shocking, commented Peter Stonely, principal Trading Standards officer, who is also a motorcyclist. Even though the local supplier is working with the council to take the helmets off the market, there are still concerns that bikers could buy this product from other traders, he added.

The helmets that the authority tested were labelled as Model JK 100 on the packaging and JK 1000 on the helmet and had an additional label on the back of the helmet with the numbers GB811-1998, which is not a legal safety mark for the European Union, Stonely said. By wearing such a helmet bikers are breaking the law, but what’s more important is that there is a risk of injury if the rider is involved in a collision.

Officers could not comment on the safety credentials of other helmets from Jiekai, but urged bikers who believe that they have one of these helmets to stop using them immediately and to check with their supplier.