Flats blaze evidence helped secure e-battery ban

An e-bike battery led to a severe blaze at high-rise flats in Coventry in 2023, the fire service said

An e-bike battery that led to a major blaze in a block of flats was removed from the UK market thanks to evidence from fire investigators.

The fire in Coventry, last September, was linked to a UPP battery, West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said.

In January, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) officially classed the batteries as "dangerous" products, after evidence from fire services.

This brand of lithium-ion batteries has been linked to a number of fires in the UK.

As a result of the enforcement action, four online marketplaces, 20 online sellers, and the China-based manufacturer are no longer permitted to sell the battery, said WMFS.

The ban has been brought in after fire investigators sent evidence to the OPSS, in the wake of the blaze at Samuel Vale House, Radford Street.

Fortunately, no-one was injured in the fire.

“[But] our work with OPSS is potentially lifesaving," said WMFS watch manager Colin Stidworthy.

"We must identify any products that might be dangerous, and to ensure that we log incidents to capture any trends.”

The video below from the fire service shows an incident in Birmingham in 2023 where an e-bike battery exploded.

Graham Russell, chief executive of OPSS said working closely with fire services allowed them to identify products that may be putting people at risk.

A key example of this has been taking action to stop the supply of "dangerous batteries used in e-bikes," he said.

That had come about following reports of fires involving UPP batteries from a number of fire and rescue services, including WMFS, he added.

The manufacturer of UPP batteries in China has been previously contacted by the BBC for comment.

Nobody was hurt in the fire in Coventry, but the damage was "significant," and it took around 50 firefighters to tackle it, said the fire service