UK electrical safety charity calls for e-bike batteries to be regulated

Andrew Beaton, from Lancaster, outside his home which was wrecked by a fire caused by his son's e-bike charging under the staircase. Photograph: Electrical Safety First

E-bike and e-scooter batteries should be regulated in the same way as fireworks after a spate of fatal fires in the UK, a safety charity has said.

Lithium-ion cells that power the increasingly popular vehicles should be approved before sale to prevent greater loss of life, said Electrical Safety First (ESF). At least 12 people have died in suspected e-bike and e-scooter blazes since 2020 in the UK.