The large leap in incidents got here because the Government got here below strain to introduce guidelines on the protected storage of the autos in housing affiliation and council-owned properties.
The transport utilizing lithium-ion batteries – that are vulnerable to overheating if incorrectly charged – have been banned from all parliamentary buildings.
E-scooters cannot be taken on the Tube or London buses following a number of alarming blazes.
But there are issues on the lack of official hearth security recommendation for properties, regardless of e-scooter batteries being blamed for not less than 5 residential fires in London this year – in Brixton, Leytonstone, Newham, Willesden and West Drayton.
Figures obtained by the Standard from the London Fire Brigade present it was known as to 104 fires involving lithium batteries final year – 44 from e-bikes, 28 from e-scooters and 32 different incidents, together with cellphones, laptops and circumstances the place the e-scooter or e-bike was not recognized.
This was 4 instances as many because the 26 recorded in 2020. There have been a additional 29 lithium battery fires this year, together with 17 e-bikes.
Lib-Dem MP Tim Farron and London Assembly member Hina Bokhari have written to fireside security minister Lord Greenhalgh urging a public security marketing campaign across the protected storage and charging of the batteries, and discouraging their buy from disreputable suppliers.
Ms Bokhari, a member of the meeting’s hearth, resilience and emergency planning committee, mentioned: “Unless action is taken I fear that before long there will be a horrific fire in a home or block of flats involving the loss of lives.
“If Parliament decides e-scooters and e-bikes are a fire risk within their own buildings that should be a powerful wake up call that greater safety measures are needed everywhere. Parliament is protecting itself – it must now take steps to ensure it protects the public.”
MPs and their workers have been advised: “E-bikes, e-scooters and/or detachable battery packs must not be brought into any parliamentary building for charging or any other reason. This is to prevent the potential fire risk poster by e-scooter or e-bikes.”
Transport for London banned e-scooters from the Tube final December. Mayor Sadiq Khan mentioned e-scooters and e-unicycles had been banned from the brand new City Hall and all hearth brigade buildings.
A London Fire Brigade spokeswoman mentioned: “The brigade has already issued several urgent safety warnings over concerns about a spike in fires involving electric bikes and private e-scooters and regularly highlights incidents and issues safety advice to keep people safe if they own one.
“Electric bikes and scooters are often stored and charged in escape routes or communal areas so when a fire does occur, escape routes are blocked which immediately makes an already serious situation much more frightening, so we’re urging people to be mindful of where they’re storing them.
“Many of the fires we are seeing involve batteries which have been sourced on the internet, which may not meet the correct safety standards. We know that lithium-ion batteries are susceptible to failure if incorrect chargers are used, so it’s important to always use the correct charger for the product and buy an official one from a reputable seller.”
Home Office minister Rachel Maclean, in a written reply to Mr Farron final month, mentioned it deliberate to replace hearth security recommendation “over the next year” alongside modifications required by the Grenfell tower inquiry suggestions.
A Department for Transport spokesman mentioned: “The risks associated with lithium-ion battery packs in e-bikes are well understood and numerous technical measures are in place throughout the life cycle of an e-bike lithium ion battery to ensure their safe and compliant use.
“Regulations in place to ensure their safety include: safeguards at the design stage, testing of complete battery packs and clear requirements for battery usage to be included in the e-bike user manual, including specific information about charging.”