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Taking over London’s iconic digital screens at Piccadilly Circus, London Fire Brigade beamed its latest video warning of the dangers of buying unsafe e-bikes and e-scooters ahead of Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year.
The Brigade’s #ChargeSafe campaign highlights how fires from lithium-ion batteries are ferocious, spread quickly, create toxic smoke and can have catastrophic consequences. This year two people lost their lives in e-bike fires with the Brigade reporting that in both cases, the victim did not own the e-bike that failed.
On average, firefighters have responded to 18 fires a month throughout 2025 where an e-bike or e-scooter battery was the cause.
Issuing advice during the takeover of Piccadilly Circus, firefighters told London’s shoppers that purchasing an e-bike or e-scooter from an online marketplace could pose a significantly higher fire risk due to the lack of regulation. Grabbing a ‘good deal’ could be lethal and shoppers were urged to check that products with batteries and chargers meet UKCA or CE safety standards.
The experience of Bromley resident, Jo Frost brings home the dangers as the Brigade shared how her e-bike using a conversion kit bought from a second-hand marketplace online, burst into flames while charging in her front room. Jo’s 14-year old son, his friend and the family dog narrowly escaped the fire but Jo lost her home and everything inside due to the ferocity of the fire.
“I wasn’t aware of the dangers of buying a conversion kit online – or that it wasn’t regulated. I hope that hearing my story will warn others of the potential dangers.”
Conversion kits allow a normal pedal bike to be altered to an e-bike, however, if they are not installed correctly they pose a significant fire risk. The kits rarely come with a battery or charger, resulting in shoppers purchasing these items separately and leaving them at risk of purchasing an incompatible product. Incompatible or sub-standard chargers can lead to batteries overcharging and this increases the risk of batteries catching fire.
The Brigade’s #ChargeSafe campaign raises awareness of the fire risks associated with e-bikes, e-scooters and is seeking changes to regulation, to prevent poor quality batteries, chargers and conversion kits being sold via online marketplaces.
Read more here from West Midlands Fire Service – ‘Fast. Fierce. Fatal.’ campaign targets lithium-ion battery fires
