E-bikes and e-scooters, through overheating batteries, have been behind more than a dozen deaths in the UK and hundreds of injuries, with exponential increases compared to 201910:59, 28 Aug 2026Updated 11:01, 28 Aug 2026New data has uncovered the deadly toll of e-bikes and e-scooters in the UK, with more than a dozen people killed in incidents with the bikes and several hundred injured.‌Recently obtained figures recorded by fire and rescue services show that 18 people have died and nearly 700 have been injured in fires caused by the vehicles. Among those deaths are people who have been trapped in their own homes like mum Gemma Germeney, 31, and her children Lilly Peden, eight, and Oliver Peden, four, who all died after a fire at a flat in Cambridge in March.‌Others have died while trying to escape from the fires, more than 2,000 of which were sparked by the bikes between 2019 and 2025.‌The figures, obtained in Freedom of Information requests from BBC Verify, show that people died while jumping from high windows or inhaling toxic smoke produced by the batteries as they ignited. E-bike and e-scooter incidents have increased year-on-year, with nearly half originating in British homes or garages.The figures have left firefighters disturbed, with Pam Oparaocha, the London Fire Brigade's Assistant Commissioner, telling the national broadcaster the service is "increasingly concerned by the significant fire risk".‌She said: "From our investigations we know many of the fires we've attended have involved second-hand vehicles or the bike has been modified using parts bought online. We urge people to be extremely careful about where they buy their e-bike or e-scooter from."The devastating personal costs of these fires have been laid bare in multiple incident reports and inquests carried out across the UK.‌In the case of Ms Germeny and her young children, an inquest heard it was a "modified" e-bike that caused the fire at their home in Sackville Close on June 20, 2023. The trio tragically died following the fire alongside two family dogs, and the children's dad, Scott Peden, was left comatose for a month.At the time, the fire service said the most probable cause of the fire was an e-bike that was charging at the time of the horror blaze.In July this year, two teens, 19-year-old Joey Gregory and 13-year-old Coby Keogh, died after a suspected e-bike battery fire on Redcar Road in Blackpool. Coby died five days after he was taken to hospital, and Joey's family said he was left with catastrophic brain injuries that were "too catastrophic for him to survive".‌Fire officials have warned that, not only do e-bike and e-scooter batteries explode into flame rapidly, but the temperatures produced are "hot enough to melt metal".Blazes are also difficult both to predict and escape, as they can ignite in just a few seconds, leaving families and users who keep the vehicles stored indoors for charging precious little time to escape. Jahmell Campbell, 24, from London, was forced to jump out of a window when his e-scooter caused fire in "the loudest explosion I'd ever heard".‌He told the BBC he was at his grandmother's home in Hither Green, Lewisham, when the vehicle, which was resting by the front door, burst into flames.He said he "jumped straight out" of the window before running to the back of the home and, with the help of his father, helped his trapped grandmother escape. He said: "My dad had to throw her out the window and we had to catch her."Up to 153,000 new bikes have been added to British roads every year since 2020, and seizures are increasing astronomically.‌Figures obtained by the Press Association earlier this month showed that more than 7,000 of the vehicles were taken off UK streets in a 12-month period, an increase of 83 percent in a year. The data, obtained via a freedom-of-information request, showed that police confiscated 7,049 potentially dangerous models across the UK in the year to May 19.The number, a significant increase on 2025, when 3,858 were seized, has prompted police, politicians and charities to call for new laws clamping down on bikes.Article continues belowE-bikes are comparatively cheap, costing as low as just £400 at some high street retailers. Unregulated kits that allow people to add a motor and battery to a standard bike cost as little as £150, and, the London Fire Brigade says, can increase fire risks as people are usually required to purchase a potentially incompatible battery from elsewhere.The BBC's data showed that the number of fires caused by e-bike and scooter batteries increased exponentially between 2019 and 2025, from just 32 in the former year, to 605 in the latter.In response to the growing issue, the Government launched its "Buy Safe, Be Safe" campaign, which is looking to strengthen responsibilities of vendors who sell these products. The campaign, which is also helping people make informed choices about the bikes, is working with local authorities to identify and remove from sale any potentially unsafe products.