Lenovo, which manufactures the Thinkpad laptop, is recalling batteries used to power these machines because they are a fire hazard - but is refusing to say how many Irish people are endangered by the problem.

The multinational yesterday warned consumers that Thinkpads bought between February 2005 and this month could have batteries prone to overheating, posing a potential fire hazard.

Lenovo is attempting to recall 526,000 batteries worldwide, around 10 per cent of all models sold during the 19-month period.

Thinkpads are popular in the Republic, but spokespeople for Lenovo refused last night to say how many of the dangerous models in question were sold here during the period, as the information is "commercially sensitive".

Sony manufactured the batteries in question and they were sold with T series, X series and R series Thinkpad laptops.

Anyone who bought one of these laptops between February last year and September 2006, or who bought replacement batteries for the same model during that time, is being urged to check to see if their battery is dangerous.

They can get this information by visiting www.lenovo.com/batteryprogram, or call the company's service centre at 01-815 9202 between 9am and 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. There are other support numbers available through www.lenovo.com/support.

The company's statement also advised customers to remove the batteries from their laptops.

A spokeswoman said that the company hopes to replace all batteries free of charge within three to four weeks, irrespective of warranties.

Lenovo first found out that it had a potential problem close to two weeks ago after an incident at Los Angeles International Airport.

This is the third recall of laptop batteries in recent weeks, following similar incidents involving Dell and Apple. Lenovo bought IBM's laptop and PC businesses two years ago for $1.25 billion (€984 million).