An “alarming spate” of fires have been brought on by unsafe e-bike and e-scooter batteries and chargers.
According to Freedom of Information knowledge, obtained by the insurer Zurich, the variety of fires brought on by batteries has surged virtually 150% within the final yr.
Firefighters in London have been known as to 88 fires by e-bikes final yr, a rise on 80% on 2021.
Assistant commissioner for hearth security Charlie Pugsley mentioned the gadgets are sometimes saved in communal areas and corridors, blocking folks’s solely technique of escape, which implies a scenario can shortly develop into extremely critical.
“When these batteries and chargers fail, they do so with ferocity,” he mentioned.
As a outcome, customers are being warned to solely purchase e-bikes and e-scooters from respected retailers. These automobiles will show a legitimate UKCA or CE mark.
Christine Heemskerk, lead officer for product security on the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, mentioned that people have to be “really certain” the place a product is coming from and the suitable charger with the suitable battery is getting used.
The fires have been attributed to non-complaint lithium-ion batteries, that are being imported by companies and fail to satisfy UK product security legal guidelines.
Alonso Ercilla, buying and selling requirements supervisor on the London Borough of Islington warned of the risks on companies in the event that they maintain getting this fallacious.
“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,” they mentioned.
Privately owned e-scooters stay unlawful in public locations in London, however are usually not unlawful to buy.
Lesley Rudd, chief govt of Electrical Safety First, known as on the federal government to control on-line marketplaces in an effort to “better protect the public”.
In June final yr, knowledge offered by the Department for Transport confirmed incidents involving e-scooters was 3 times increased than the earlier yr.
There have been 1,349 recorded collisions and 1,437 casualties within the yr to the top of June 2022, a rise from 978 crashes and 1,033 casualties recorded the yr earlier than.
Source: information.sky.com”