Former leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron MP and London Assembly member Hina Bokhari have written to the government’s fire safety minister Lord Greenhalgh to request a public safety campaign focusing on the safe use of e-bike and e-scooter batteries and to discourage their purchase from disreputable suppliers. The news comes as London Fire Brigade reports that it was called out to 44 fires involving e-bikes last year and 28 involving e-scooters.

In recent times London Fire Brigade has repeatedly issued warnings about using incorrect e-bike and e-scooter chargers or replacement batteries not sourced from reputable sellers.

Figures obtained by the London Evening Standard show the service was called to 104 fires involving lithium batteries last year, up from just 26 in 2020.

The warnings have resulted in a ban on e-scooters (but not e-bikes) on London public transport and – seemingly off the back of that – a ban on e-bikes from the Palace of Westminster.

> E-bikes banned from the Houses of Parliament due to fire risk

Bokhari, a member of the London Assembly’s fire, resilience and emergency planning committee, said: “Unless action is taken I fear that before long there will be a horrific fire in a home or block of flats involving the loss of lives.

“If Parliament decides e-scooters and e-bikes are a fire risk within their own buildings that should be a powerful wake-up call that greater safety measures are needed everywhere. Parliament is protecting itself – it must now take steps to ensure it protects the public.”

Responding to a question from Farron last month about what guidance the Home Office plans to issue to housing associations and local authorities on the safe storage of e-scooters, Damian Hinds MP said that fire safety advice would be updated “over the next year.”

He said this would be based on London Fire Brigade guidance.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “The brigade has already issued several urgent safety warnings over concerns about a spike in fires involving electric bikes and private e-scooters and regularly highlights incidents and issues safety advice to keep people safe if they own one.

“Electric bikes and scooters are often stored and charged in escape routes or communal areas so when a fire does occur, escape routes are blocked which immediately makes an already serious situation much more frightening, so we’re urging people to be mindful of where they’re storing them.

“Many of the fires we are seeing involve batteries which have been sourced on the internet, which may not meet the correct safety standards. We know that lithium-ion batteries are susceptible to failure if incorrect chargers are used, so it’s important to always use the correct charger for the product and buy an official one from a reputable seller.”

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “The risks associated with lithium-ion battery packs in e-bikes are well understood and numerous technical measures are in place throughout the life cycle of an e-bike lithium ion battery to ensure their safe and compliant use.

“Regulations in place to ensure their safety include: safeguards at the design stage, testing of complete battery packs and clear requirements for battery usage to be included in the e-bike user manual, including specific information about charging.”

In February, the Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI) called for new EU batteries regulations to contain clear rules on e-bike battery replaceability.

CONEBI is a strong supporter of using only original OEM certified batteries on e-bikes and has also warned owners against having batteries repaired.

Former leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron MP and London Assembly member Hina Bokhari have written to the government’s fire safety minister Lord Greenhalgh to request a public safety campaign focusing on the safe use of e-bike and e-scooter batteries and to discourage their purchase from disreputable suppliers. The news comes as London Fire Brigade reports that it was called out to 44 fires involving e-bikes last year and 28 involving e-scooters.

In recent times London Fire Brigade has repeatedly issued warnings about using incorrect e-bike and e-scooter chargers or replacement batteries not sourced from reputable sellers.

Figures obtained by the London Evening Standard show the service was called to 104 fires involving lithium batteries last year, up from just 26 in 2020.

The warnings have resulted in a ban on e-scooters (but not e-bikes) on London public transport and – seemingly off the back of that – a ban on e-bikes from the Palace of Westminster.

> E-bikes banned from the Houses of Parliament due to fire risk

Bokhari, a member of the London Assembly’s fire, resilience and emergency planning committee, said: “Unless action is taken I fear that before long there will be a horrific fire in a home or block of flats involving the loss of lives.

“If Parliament decides e-scooters and e-bikes are a fire risk within their own buildings that should be a powerful wake-up call that greater safety measures are needed everywhere. Parliament is protecting itself – it must now take steps to ensure it protects the public.”

Responding to a question from Farron last month about what guidance the Home Office plans to issue to housing associations and local authorities on the safe storage of e-scooters, Damian Hinds MP said that fire safety advice would be updated “over the next year.”

He said this would be based on London Fire Brigade guidance.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “The brigade has already issued several urgent safety warnings over concerns about a spike in fires involving electric bikes and private e-scooters and regularly highlights incidents and issues safety advice to keep people safe if they own one.

“Electric bikes and scooters are often stored and charged in escape routes or communal areas so when a fire does occur, escape routes are blocked which immediately makes an already serious situation much more frightening, so we’re urging people to be mindful of where they’re storing them.

“Many of the fires we are seeing involve batteries which have been sourced on the internet, which may not meet the correct safety standards. We know that lithium-ion batteries are susceptible to failure if incorrect chargers are used, so it’s important to always use the correct charger for the product and buy an official one from a reputable seller.”

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “The risks associated with lithium-ion battery packs in e-bikes are well understood and numerous technical measures are in place throughout the life cycle of an e-bike lithium ion battery to ensure their safe and compliant use.

“Regulations in place to ensure their safety include: safeguards at the design stage, testing of complete battery packs and clear requirements for battery usage to be included in the e-bike user manual, including specific information about charging.”

In February, the Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI) called for new EU batteries regulations to contain clear rules on e-bike battery replaceability.

CONEBI is a strong supporter of using only original OEM certified batteries on e-bikes and has also warned owners against having batteries repaired.