Warning of ‘alarming spate’ of house fires caused by e-bike and e-scooter batteries

Shoppers are warned to avoid buying e-scooters and e-bikes unless they are being sold from established retailers

The fire damage inside the 12th floor flat in Shepherds Bush (LBF) (PA Media)

An “alarming spate” of house fires has been caused by e-bikes and e-scooters’ lithium-ion batteries, new figures show.

The number of fires caused by the batteries has jumped by 150 per cent in the past year - a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

While 88 firefighter callouts were related to e-bikes fires last year – an increase of 80 per cent on the 49 responded to in 2021.

Earlier this year, a woman and three children were taken to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation after a fire from a faulty e-bike lithium battery sparked a blaze at their south-east London home.

The spike in fires and callouts has prompted insurers Chartered Trading Standards Institute - CTSI - to warn shoppers to only buy e-bikes and e-scooters from reputable retailers.

The CTSI is urging businesses importing and selling e-scooters, e-bikes and conversion kits, which change a standard bike to an e-bike, to ensure that the products fully comply with product safety laws.

Consumers should only purchase devices from reputable retailers and check that they display a valid UKCA or CE mark.

Christine Heemskerk, CTSI lead officer for product safety, said: “Don’t buy online unless you’re really certain where a product is coming from.

“You also need to be very sure that you’re using the right charger for the right battery. There should be a charger supplied with the device you’ve purchased.”

Alonso Ercilla, Trading Standards manager at the London Borough of Islington, said: “For importers and retailers, getting this wrong could cost you an absolute fortune.

“Trading Standards can seize non-compliant devices and gain a forfeiture order so that we can safely dispose of them.”

“We advise anyone selling these devices to get them tested to make sure they comply with product safety laws. When things go wrong, there are consequences. Businesses can be prosecuted and the public can be exposed to great risk of harm.”

A fire in a high-rise block of flats in south east London was caused by a faulty e-bike (PA Media)

London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner for fire safety Charlie Pugsley said crews were seeing fires in e-bikes that have been purchased from online marketplaces and with batteries which may not meet the correct safety standards.

He said: “When these batteries and chargers fail, they do so with ferocity and because the fires develop so rapidly the situation can quickly become incredibly serious.

“These items are often stored in communal areas and corridors and can block people’s only means of escape.”

The London Fire Brigade have warned about the safety electric powered scooters and bikes (PA)

London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman said it was “vital” that customers understood how to charge them and their batteries safely.

E-bike owners must also be aware of the fire safety risks which come with using converted e-bikes from unverified suppliers.