A total 15 E-bike and scooter fires were recorded in Lancashire last year as incidents reached a record high across the UK.

Fire brigade figures show 432 e-bike blazes were recorded across the UK in 2025, including those recorded by Lancashire Fire and Rescue.

That is up 38% from 313 the previous year, and is more than five times higher than the 84 in 2021. There were 147 e-scooter fires last year, representing a 20% jump from 123 in 2024. In 2021 the figure was 88.

E-bike and e-scooter fires are often caused by the failure of batteries, conversion kits or chargers. These products bought from online marketplaces have been found to be at greater risk of malfunctioning than those sold by established retailers because they are not subjected to the same level of regulation.

In December 2025, Lancashire Fire and Rescue attended a blaze caused by an e-bike and issued advice : “Our crews recently attended a fire caused by an e-bike battery, left on the ground floor, the only escape route from a first-floor flat. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but it’s a serious reminder to charge safely at home:”

Use the charger provided by the manufacturer
Charge on a flat, hard surface - not on beds or sofas
Avoid charging overnight or when you’re out✓
Keep devices away from flammable materials
Never block your escape route with charging devices
Unplug once fully charged and avoid extreme temperatures

In 2024, this shocking video shows devastation by a single e-bike.

Nick Bailey of BatteryIQ, which provides a system to monitor the safety of e-bike batteries, said the e-bikes and e-scooters involved in fires are “always cut-price products sold through online marketplaces with lax quality control”.

He added: “There’s also a growing black market in DIY and counterfeit batteries, particularly for delivery riders, built using battery cells reclaimed from used disposable vapes. I wouldn’t keep a battery in my home without continuous monitoring – regardless of what the manufacturer’s sticker says.”

The Press Association sent Freedom of Information requests to all 49 fire brigades in the UK, asking for the number of e-bike and e-scooter fires they recorded each year between 2021 and 2025. Thirty-seven brigades provided comparable data.

Eden Abera Siem, 30, died in hospital after being rescued by firefighters when a blaze, which investigators found was probably caused by the failure of a charging e-bike battery, broke out at her home on Lordship Lane, Wood Green, North London on June 21 last year. It was the fourth fatal e-bike fire recorded in the capital.

Photo originally issued on 01/10/25 by London Fire Brigade of an e-bike fire in Woolwich. E-bike and e-scooter fires reached a record high last year, an investigation has found, leading to riders being warned about online marketplaces

placeholder image — Photo originally issued on 01/10/25 by London Fire Brigade of an e-bike fire in Woolwich. E-bike and e-scooter fires reached a record high last year, an investigation has found, leading to riders being warned about online marketplaces

Lesley Rudd, chief executive of charity Electrical Safety First, said the issue of fires caused by substandard e-bike and e-scooter batteries is “swiftly becoming a runaway train that needs to be stopped”.

She continued: “Poorly made batteries and accessories, often sold via under-regulated online marketplaces, are of huge concern, and are a major route through which dangerous devices are entering people’s homes. Without strong and enforceable changes, lives are at serious risk and further loss of life is, sadly, inevitable.”

Last week the Government published three consultations setting out plans to boost product safety in the UK, which include online marketplaces being legally required to “prevent, identify and remove dangerous products being sold via their platforms”.

Spencer Sutcliff, deputy commissioner of LFB, said the brigade is “extremely concerned around the issue of e-bike and e-scooter fires, and the devastating impact these fires can have on lives and livelihoods”.

He added that its firefighters “continue to be called out to a worrying amount” of the incidents. Privately-owned e-scooters have been banned from Transport for London (TfL’s) network since December 2021 because of their fire risk.T his was extended to non-foldable e-bikes for the majority of TfL services in March last year after an e-bike caught fire on a platform at Rayners Lane Tube station.

Private e-scooters are banned from being used in public areas across the UK, although they are often ridden illegally in many urban locations. Legal trials of rental e-scooters on roads have been ongoing in towns and cities across England since July 2020. Under UK law, e-bike motors must cut out when a speed of 15.5mph is reached. But police are increasingly finding many have been modified to reach much faster speeds.

Sue Davies, Which? head of consumer rights policy, said: “Online marketplaces are increasingly saturated with unsafe products. E-bikes and e-scooters are just some examples of items that can pose serious risks to consumers, while also undercutting responsible businesses that comply with the lawThe Government has launched a much-needed consultation on updating the product safety framework, including duties for online marketplaces to prevent unsafe products from being sold by third-party sellers. These duties must be strong