London Fire Brigade calls for urgent e-bike and e-scooter legislation
London Fire Brigade calls for urgent e-bike and e-scooter legislation
FOLLOWING ON from the introduction of the Product Regulation and Metrology Act, the London Fire Brigade is now urging the Government to bring forward its consultation for the secondary legislation of the Act as soon as possible.
London witnessed record numbers of e-bike and e-scooter fires last year, with more than 200 fires attended by firefighters across the capital. The fires ranged in their severity with the most serious episodes resulting in deaths, injury and destructive damage to homes. Last year, two people sadly lost their lives as a result of e-bike fires, taking the total number of fatalities in London arising from this type of incident to five since 2023.
These stark figures highlight that urgent action is still needed to help prevent these fires and further tragedies. In total, London firefighters attended 206 e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025 at an average of 17 fires per month. Around 83% of these fires involved an e-bike.
The London Fire Brigade’s investigations shows that lithium-ion battery failure, conversion kits and chargers are often the cause of these fires. Items purchased online (whether bought new or second-hand), and which don’t meet UK safety standards, are particularly prone to going up in flames.
Lithium-ion batteries that power e-bikes and e-scooters can fail for a number of reasons They may be poorly built, counterfeit, become damaged, overcharged or otherwise used with an incorrect charger.
Product Regulation and Metrology Act
In a bid to tackle this growing problem, the Government introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Act, which received Royal Assent last summer. In December, London Fire Brigade Deputy Commissioner Spencer Sutcliff wrote to Kate Dearden (Minister for Employment Rights and Consumer Protection) urging the Government to bring forward its consultation for the secondary legislation of the Act as soon as possible.
Following on from that letter, Spencer Sutcliff (Deputy Commissioner and operational director for prevention, protection and policy) observed: “On average, firefighters are currently attending an e-bike or e-scooter fire every other day. This year, we’ve already seen several fires involving lithium-ion batteries. These fires can be explosive and have devastating consequences.”
Sutcliff continued: “We’ve been calling for regulation to improve product safety and are thankful for the work already done by the Government to help tackle this issue. We look forward to working with the Government on its consultation for secondary legislation, when it’s introduced, to help tackle this issue head-on. We hope this is done as soon as possible in order to reduce the number of customers being exposed to dangerous products available for purchase online, and ultimately drive down the number of fires.”
Tragically, each of the five people who’ve died as a result of e-bike fires in London didn’t own the e-bike involved. This demonstrates the devastating effect these fires can have on those who live with an e-bike or e-scooter user, as well as to their homes and livelihoods.
#ChargeSafe campaign
The London Fire Brigade’s #ChargeSafe campaign, launched back in 2023, has increased Londoners’ awareness of the risks associated with owning a poorly built e-bike or e-scooter lithium-ion battery. More work is required to educate on the risks, notably so among gig economy riders who use e-bikes – often modified with conversion kits that may not meet safety standards – in order to travel around for work. On that note, the Brigade is continuing its calls for the likes of Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo to do more to share awareness about the risks directly with their riders.
Other organisations and groups (such as local authorities, housing associations, landlords and universities and colleges) are also urged to help spread awareness. Firefighters are available to support this work. Where possible, organisations and groups encouraged to take practical steps to help reduce the risk, including the provision of safe places for storage or appropriate charging facilities.
Unique safety challenges
Deputy Commissioner Sutcliff continued: “We understand the importance of green and sustainable modes of transport and recognise the positive impact of e-bikes and e-scooters. However, poorly built, non-compliant or damaged lithium batteries in these products, as well as the use of mismatched batteries and chargers, present unique fire safety challenges.”
Sutcliff concluded: “It’s clear from the number of fires we’re seeing that not everyone is aware of the very real risks that exist. We’ve been running our #ChargeSafe awareness campaign for nearly three years, but the latest data shows this work is becoming more important than ever. We need the continued support of the Government, partners and other relevant organisations to ensure the safety advice is reaching as many people as possible and that dangerous products are no longer readily available to purchase online.”
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