Sony has halted sales of its Xperia Tablet S just a month after launch after discovering they aren't as water-resistant as claimed because of manufacturing defects.

According to Sony, it has discovered that gaps between the screen and the case mean water can seep into the tablet and damage it - not great when it had been claimed as water resistant. 

"For this reason, we will suspend the sale of the Xperia Tablet S," said Sony, in a statement on its website in Japan. 

READ: Sony Xperia Tablet S pictures and hands-on

Customers who have already purchased the new tablet, which  was launched around the globe in September, will be able to have their tablet inspected and replaced free of charge if there is an issue, the company has confirmed. 

Sony says the problem was caused by a manufacturing fault at its plant in China. It expects to have fixed the it and have the Xperia S tablets back on sale by the end of October. 

It is estimated that around 100,000 of the tablets have been sold. Models affected include Xperia Tablet S SGPT121JP / S, SGPT122JP / S, and SGPT123JP / S in Japan.

We've asked Sony in the UK for a comment to clarify what UK customers who are concerned should do. We will update this story when they get back to us.