Sefton Council is due to join a campaign about the safety of e-bikes calling for change.
But it warns that until work is done, “the likelihood of further fires and possible fatalities is significant”.
Since 2020, fires caused by PLEV batteries have been reported in 180 parliamentary constituencies across the UK resulting in over 190 people being injured, at least 15 deaths and several Coroner’s inquiries urging government action.
The fatalities include a Sefton resident from Litherland in 2023 and in December 2024 an 8-year-old Merseyside boy.
Sefton says that fires caused by PLEV batteries are “a significant risk that needs addressing”. The council’s Trading Standards team recently identified 11 local businesses engaged in the supply, repair, and modification of e-bikes or converting traditional bikes to e-bikes.
Visits were carried out to all the businesses to ensure they were aware of the risks posed by their activities and the responsibilities they hold under the relevant regulations.
The businesses were advised on how they could meet their obligations in ensuring their products are safe and that consumers have the necessary instructions to use them safely.
The Trading Standards team have also taken action at the Port of Liverpool, preventing unsafe e-bikes and e-scooters from being placed on the UK market.
Recent funding from the OPSS will mean that the service can increase their monitoring and surveillance on consumer products entering the port, targeting high-risk products like PLEVs.
The service has also promoted safety campaigns like “Buy Safe, Be Safe: avoid e-bike and e-scooter fires”.
Sefton Trading Standards will continue to raise awareness and take action over unsafe products.
But in a report to councillors, they said: “However, until the changes asked for in the PLEV battery report and the ESF campaign are implemented, the likelihood of further fires and possible fatalities is significant.”
Sefton Council has been asked to join a campaign by Electrical Safety First (ESF), a charity that aims to reduce deaths and injuries caused by electricity in UK homes.
ESF has launched a campaign to ensure the safety of Lithium-ion batteries.
The campaign asks for:
- a third-party safety assessment, conducted by a government-approved body, for all e bikes, e-scooters, and their lithium-ion batteries before they enter the UK market. This process mirrors safety measures in place for other high-risk products like fireworks and heavy machinery.
- The Government to make regulations ensuring the safe disposal of lithium batteries once their lifecycle ends.
- The Government to assign responsibility to comprehensively address fire-related concerns. This involves enhancing safe usage, charging, and storage practices for these devices. It includes setting standards for conversion kits and charging systems and considering a temporary ban on the sale of universal chargers that heighten fire risks.
- A clear and enforceable duty on online marketplaces, and clearer definition of key terms to provide confidence for consumers, businesses, and the online marketplaces themselves together with the extension of liability for defective products to online marketplaces, particularly those sold by third party sellers. This will ensure all existing and future online marketplaces and products cannot take advantage of gaps to avoid responsibility.
The ESF campaign is backed by over 100 organisations, including the Chartered Institute of Trading Standards (CTSI) and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. CTSI are working with ESF to ensure the aims of the campaign can be met through the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, particularly around increased controls on online marketplaces.
In a report, Sefton Trading Standards said: “The use of Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs) such as e-bikes and e-scooters has grown rapidly in recent years and plays an important part in reducing emissions and improving air quality. However, the increase in the use of these products has also led to a rising number of house fires caused by e-bike and e-scooter batteries, resulting in several fatalities.
“Like smaller personal electronic devices, PLEV batteries are commonly charged indoors. However, PLEV batteries are much larger than those in most other consumer battery powered devices and contain significantly more energy.
“Typically containing 30-100 cylindrical cells, when thermal runaway starts in a single cell within a battery, it can spread to other cells in the battery.
“The resulting gas, fire and explosions can be extremely hazardous to the health of those in buildings where these incidents occur, resulting in severe injury or death.
“The Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) within the Department for Business and Trade is the UK’s national product safety regulator. The OPSS commissioned a report into the safety of PLEV batteries. The report (Personal Light Electric Vehicle (PLEV) Battery Safety Research), was published in January 2025.
“Initial research highlighted the severity of PLEV battery fires, particularly those that occur indoors, when batteries are being stored or charged using a mains-powered charger and pointed to conversion kits (used to convert a conventional bicycle into an e-bike) being involved in a significant number of incidents.”
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