London Fire Brigade has welcomed action by train companies in response to the fire risk of lithium batteries in electric powered personal vehicles on their service.
From June 1, e-scooters, e-unicycles, e-skateboards and hoverboards will be banned on trains and at stations run by several train companies including Govia Thameslink Railway and Southeastern.
Deputy Commissioner Dom Ellis said: “We are very pleased that further train operators have taken action in response to the risk e-scooters can pose and are trying to mitigate these risks.
“While these are positive steps, our latest data shows that firefighters have attended 53 e-bike fires in London already in 2023, which is four times as many incidents as those involving e-scooters. Given e-bikes are not included in the ban, we are also encouraging operators to consider whether they have adequate safety measures in place should an e-bike fire happen on their service.”
Following an increase in lithium battery fires, in particular e-bikes and scooters the Brigade has been running its #ChargeSafe campaign in a bid to raise awareness of the issue and promote how to safely use products with these batteries.