Surrey Fire and Rescue Service has issued a public warning about the dangers of unregulated e-bike and e-scooter batteries, after the county recorded more fires linked to these devices than any other area in the South East of England.
The figures are striking, and the message from fire investigators is clear, the batteries flooding in through unregulated online sellers are a serious and growing fire safety problem across Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and South West London.
Surrey Leads the South East for E-Bike Battery Fires
Twenty e-bike and e-scooter fires were recorded in Surrey in the past year.
That is the highest figure in the South East, and represents a 25% increase on the previous year.
To put it into context, Surrey’s fire investigation officer Matt Oakley describes the trajectory bluntly: the number has gone from zero, to seven, to fifteen, and now to twenty.
Part of this reflects Surrey’s unique position as the only county in the region with a dedicated fire investigation team.
More fires are classified and recorded compared to neighbouring areas, which may mean the true regional picture is even worse than the data suggests.
North Surrey’s border with London also contributes, with a more urban profile pushing incident numbers higher.
But the underlying trend is national, not local.
Data collected by business insurer QBE through Freedom of Information requests to 42 UK fire services found that lithium-ion battery fires surged by 93% across the UK between 2022 and 2024.
E-bike fires alone doubled in that period, reaching 362 incidents in 2024.
UK fire brigades are now dealing with at least three lithium-ion battery fires every single day.
The Problem: Unregulated Batteries Coming Through Online Sellers
The core issue, as Matt Oakley explains, is not e-bikes and e-scooters themselves. It is the unregulated batteries being sold to power them.
“Lots of batteries you can buy on the open market now with online sellers that probably haven’t gone through the due process of coming through British standards regulations,” he said. “They come in through online sellers straight into the country and we’ve got no control over those.”
This is a problem that safety organisations have been raising for years.
Electrical Safety First, which has run its Battery Breakdown campaign to push for stronger regulation, describes the situation in stark terms: “Too many dangerous products are slipping through the cracks.”
The charity notes that the speed at which substandard products have flooded the market through unregulated third-party online sellers has far outpaced the regulations designed to protect consumers. Fires involving lithium-ion batteries have claimed at least 13 lives since 2020 and injured hundreds more.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) reported 211 e-bike and e-scooter fire incidents in 2024 alone, equivalent to a fire every 1.7 days. In 93% of those incidents, the battery or generator was the source of ignition.
A significant number were traced to unsafe batteries purchased through online marketplaces.
The danger is compounded by conversion kits, which allow standard bikes to be converted to electric power using aftermarket batteries that may not meet any safety standard.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking has specifically flagged a surge in battery fires linked to these conversion kits and low-cost battery imports.
What Makes Unregulated Battery Fires So Dangerous
Lithium-ion battery fires caused by thermal runaway behave very differently to ordinary fires.
When a lithium-ion battery fails, it generates its own oxygen as part of the chemical reaction, meaning it cannot simply be smothered.
These fires burn at temperatures between 700°C and 1,000°C, spread rapidly, and can reignite hours or even days after appearing to be extinguished.
Toxic gases released during a lithium-ion battery fire include hydrogen fluoride and carbon monoxide, making them a serious threat to anyone in the building and to firefighters attending the scene.
This is why the warning about unregulated e-bike battery fire risk in Surrey and across the region is not a minor consumer safety matter.
A battery fire in a domestic property, garage, or commercial premises can quickly become catastrophic.
In August 2024, eight-year-old Luke Albiston O’Donnell died in Merseyside after an e-bike battery caught fire while charging in the front room of his home. The year before, a replacement battery bought on eBay led to a fire that killed a woman and two children.
What Is Being Done at a National Level
Matt Oakley acknowledged the frustration of operating within a system where the pace of regulation consistently lags behind the pace of the market. “The introduction of batteries and new products onto the market is so quick and thick and fast that we are always going to struggle to keep up with that process,” he said.
There is, however, legislative progress.
The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 received Royal Assent in July 2025, creating a legal framework for the Government to introduce tighter product safety requirements for online marketplaces.
The intention is to prevent unsafe products from being made available to consumers and to ensure that sellers operating on online platforms comply with product safety obligations.
The Government also launched the Buy Safe, Be Safe consumer campaign, advising the public to avoid unregulated online sellers and look for products that carry appropriate safety marks.
The OPSS has already taken action to remove specific battery models linked to UK fire incidents from the market.
However, safety organisations warn that secondary legislation is needed to give the Act its teeth, and that key issues including specific liability for online marketplaces and clear standards for conversion kits have not yet been fully addressed.
As Matt Oakley put it: “All we can do as a fire and rescue service is keep investigating, keep advising the public for safety.”
What You Can Do Right Now
While the regulatory picture develops, the risk to households and businesses across Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and South West London is real and present. Matt Oakley’s advice is practical and direct.
Buy from a reputable seller. A genuine CE mark or UKCA mark is a starting point, but purchasing from an established, accountable retailer with a physical presence gives far greater assurance than an anonymous online listing. Jonathan Harrison of the Association of Cycle Traders puts it plainly: “Consumers face significant risks when purchasing from unregulated online sellers.”
Be cautious with second-hand purchases. If you are buying a second-hand e-bike or e-scooter, make sure you can trace where it has come from and that you have paperwork to support the battery’s provenance. A battery with an unknown history is a battery with an unknown risk.
Do not tamper with or modify the battery or motor. Matt Oakley is explicit on this point. Increasing the power of a device changes the demands placed on the battery, overriding its design parameters and causing residual heat build-up that can lead to thermal runaway. Modification of any kind substantially increases the fire risk.
Store the device safely. Keep it away from direct sunlight and away from exits and escape routes. If a battery becomes damaged or shows signs of swelling, stop using it immediately and dispose of it safely through a designated battery recycling point. Do not put it in your general waste.
Charge safely. Charge devices in a low-risk area, ideally not in a hallway or near exits, and preferably where a smoke detector is fitted. Do not leave devices charging unattended overnight.
The Fire Risk Assessment Dimension for Commercial Premises
For businesses across Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and South West London, unregulated e-bike battery fire risk is increasingly a fire risk assessment issue. If your staff charge e-bikes or e-scooters on your premises, if you operate a fleet of electric delivery vehicles, or if you are a landlord with residents who do the same, this risk must be considered in your fire risk assessment.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires responsible persons to identify all significant fire hazards and implement appropriate controls. A hazard that fire services describe as generating at least three incidents per day nationally, and 20 in Surrey alone last year, is a hazard that cannot reasonably be left out of a thorough fire risk assessment.
At ESI: Fire Safety, we carry out fire risk assessments for commercial premises, residential buildings, and landlords across Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and South West London. If you are concerned about how lithium battery storage and charging affects your fire risk profile, get in touch with our team to discuss what a review of your assessment should cover.
Sources
Greatest Hits Radio Surrey, “Surrey fire and rescue warns about the dangers of unregulated batteries” (9 April 2026): https://www.hellorayo.co.uk/greatest-hits/surrey-east-hampshire/news/e-bike-e-scooter-battery-fires
Radio Jackie, “There’s been a 38% rise in E-bike fires” (April 2026): https://radiojackie.com/theres-been-a-38-rise-in-e-bike-fires/
Office for Product Safety and Standards, “Fires in e-bikes and e-scooters 2024”: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fires-in-e-bikes-and-e-scooters/fires-in-e-bikes-and-e-scooters-2024
QBE European Operations, “Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries double in two years” (2025): https://qbeeurope.com/news-and-events/press-releases/fires-caused-by-lithium-ion-batteries-double-in-two-years/
Electrical Safety First, Battery Breakdown campaign update (2025): https://www.britsafe.org/safety-management/2025/battery-breakdown-e-bike-fire-safety-campaign-where-are-we-two-years-on
Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025, Royal Assent: https://www.businesscompanion.info/en/news-and-updates/product-regulation-and-metrology-act-2025-receives-royal-assent
Government Buy Safe, Be Safe campaign and e-bike battery statutory guidelines: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e-bike-battery-statutory-guidelines-launch
MoneySuperMarket, lithium-ion battery fire risk overview: https://www.moneysupermarket.com/car-insurance/news/warning-for-lithium-ion-battery-fires/
