London is facing a fire safety challenge that has been quietly growing for years, and it’s now impossible to ignore.
Across the city, the rise of e-bike and e-scooter battery fires is putting delivery riders, international students and residents in shared accommodation at increasing risk.
A new report by the Newham Community Project has brought these dangers into sharp focus, prompting calls for a London-wide Food Delivery Charter aimed at preventing the next avoidable tragedy.
The campaigners behind the report are urging Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and London Fire Brigade Commissioner Jonathan Smith to adopt a charter similar to the one already in place in Greater Manchester—bringing delivery platforms, councils, riders and fire safety experts together to create a safer environment for everyone.
Original source for the news:
Fire Industry Association (FIA), “Call for London-wide Food Delivery Charter to Boost Fire Safety,” 11 November 2025.
The Rising Threat of Lithium-Ion Battery Fires
The numbers alone tell a worrying story. London now accounts for the vast majority of the UK’s e-bike and e-scooter fires, with fire services attending more than 200 such incidents in 2024, and most of those occurring in the capital.
Newham, one of London’s busiest delivery districts, saw a sharp increase in battery-related fires in 2023. National figures show that lithium-ion battery fires have almost doubled in just two years.
Behind these statistics lie some common patterns. Many delivery riders rely on cheap or second-hand batteries.
Others use unregulated conversion kits to adapt standard bicycles for electric use.
These kits, often bought online with little oversight, are more prone to damage, overheating and catastrophic failure.
When these bikes are charged inside cramped HMOs, bedsits or shared kitchens, the fire risk rises dramatically.
Lithium-ion batteries don’t smoulder slowly—they go into what fire experts call “thermal runaway,” producing intense heat, flames and toxic smoke within seconds. Once an e-bike battery ignites, escape routes can be cut off almost instantly.
When Fire Becomes Reality
One incident still lingers heavily in the minds of fire safety professionals: the Manor Park fire of October 2022. Ten international students were left scrambling to escape through windows when an e-bike battery ignited in their hallway, blocking the only exit. Four people were injured and three were taken to hospital.
Stories like this remind us that behind every statistic is a home, a family, and people simply trying to live their lives or earn a living.
London Fire Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for Prevention & Protection, Pamela Oparaocha, summed up the challenge plainly when she said that fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters are now “worryingly common” and that the rising number of incidents shows the “urgent need for further awareness to help protect lives and avoid future tragedies.”
Who Is Most at Risk?
Among those most exposed to the danger are the delivery riders who power London’s food delivery apps. Many work long hours on tight margins, often choosing the cheapest batteries or conversion kits they can find. Charging often takes place inside shared bedrooms or communal areas simply because riders have nowhere else to store their bikes.
International students, another large and often overlooked group, face similar risks. Many live in HMOs with limited space and little guidance about safe charging. When several e-bikes are plugged in at once, usually overnight, the risk multiplies. Councillor Amar Virdee from Newham pointed out that illegal batteries are “often a fraction of the price of legal ones” but come with a hidden and potentially deadly cost.
A London-Wide Food Delivery Charter Could Change the Landscape
The idea behind the proposed Food Delivery Charter is simple: bring everyone around the table and tackle the issue together.
The Newham Community Project believes London needs a coordinated response just as Greater Manchester has already implemented.
A charter could influence how delivery companies onboard riders, what safety information is shared, how charging spaces are created and used, and how councils and landlords manage risks in high-density housing.
It could also lead to better regulation of battery sales and clearer standards for what counts as a “safe” e-bike or charger.
One of the most promising lessons from Newham’s work is that community-led engagement actually works. Rider-to-rider training, multilingual workshops and local ambassadors have already helped shift behaviour.
More than 5,000 #ChargeSafe leaflets have been distributed in hotspots, universities and rider hubs, improving awareness and encouraging riders to report unsafe batteries instead of quietly discarding them.
This kind of peer-driven education can often reach people in ways that official warnings simply don’t.
What This Means for Fire Safety Professionals
For those working in fire risk assessment, housing management, consultancy or compliance, this trend brings a new set of challenges.
FRAs increasingly need to recognise and address the presence of e-bikes, chargers and conversion kits.
Escape routes must be checked for obstructions.
Charging practices need to be reviewed.
Universities, landlords and managing agents will need guidance on policies that keep residents safe without unfairly penalising the people who depend on e-bikes to earn a living.
This is not a niche issue anymore—it’s a major shift in urban fire risk, and one that requires a modern approach.
A Turning Point for Fire Safety in London
London is at a crossroads. The convenience economy is here to stay, and with it comes a growing reliance on electric bikes and scooters. But unless the capital adapts to manage the risks of lithium-ion batteries, incidents will continue to rise.
A London-wide Food Delivery Charter could be the turning point—improving safety through collaboration, education and shared responsibility.
With the right approach, it could protect thousands of riders, students and residents while preventing future tragedies.
For now, the message is clear: the time to act is now, before the numbers climb even higher.
