Dodgy e-bikes and e-scooters leading to ‘the stuff of nightmares’ for families in Blackpool
A deep dive into the problem of altered electric vehicles and the fire risk that comes with them
Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.
One of the very first stories we covered on The Blackpool Lead, back in 2024, was the death of Blackpool couple Joshua Pearson and Danielle Bamber.
Even the rapid arrival of emergency services was not enough to save the parents when a fire broke out at their home on Peter Street in July of that year.
Now, the fire service have told The Blackpool Lead that it was ‘highly likely’ to be a converted e-bike that started the fire.
We explore the issue of e-vehicle fires in depth for today’s edition.
Blackpool briefing
☕ A community café in the middle of Anchorsholme Park is to close permanently at the end of this month.
A notice has gone up in the window of the Brew Café which announced the forthcoming closure but states the café will continue to offer a window-only service for three days after the closure.
The Brew Café first launched in July 2020 when the revamped park was reopened after five years of closure due to an £80 million water project by United Utilities.
After operating a limited service due to Covid restrictions at that time, the café went on to become a recognised community hub and central point to the park.
🚐 A Blackpool councillor has called for a crackdown on the increasing number of camper vans parking up for free on a main seafront road.
Cllr Julie Sloman says on a recent weekend up to 17 vehicles were parked on the promenade side of Queens Promenade, across the road from the Norbreck Castle Hotel and nearby houses.
She says residents have complained that some of the occupants appear to be living there permanently and even more of them appear to be coming than previously.
Cllr Sloman is calling on Blackpool Council to begin levying charges like the one introduced by Lancashire County Council in St Annes and Lytham two years ago. She has also reiterated earlier calls to impose double yellow lines on the prom side.
🚍 Plans have been put forward to set up an enlarged traveller site in Blackpool’s Marton Moss area.
An application has been lodged with Blackpool Council planners for the proposals.
The applicants are seeking permission for use of land as a residential traveller site on land north of School Road and east of Midgeland Road, with four pitches, each with one static caravan or chalet, one touring caravan, one ancillary greenhouse structure, associated amenity space, car parking and shared access off School Road.
The area in question is considered the largest area of green space in Blackpool and is a semi-rural in character.
Although the land in question is currently in use as a traveller site, at present it is much smaller than that being proposed, which will include landscaping.
Dodgy e-bikes and e-scooters leading to ‘the stuff of nightmares’ for families in Blackpool
By Michael Holmes
A nondescript e-scooter leans against a wall in a similarly nondescript hallway leading into a kitchen.
It is 9am on the dot.
Two seconds later, in less time than it has taken to read this far, the scooter releases a brief wisp of smoke and then explodes into flames.
Within 10 seconds, the only thing visible through the black smoke on nearby CCTV is a scooter-shaped fireball.
The video, released by the Government to warn about the volatile nature of lithium-ion batteries, shows how a perfectly safe home can become a death-trap within the blink of an eye.
It is the stuff of nightmares - but it has also been the horrific reality for a string of families in Blackpool.
Firefighters in the resort have been to seven e-bike fires in the past year alone.
One of them, in Redcar Road, North Shore, last month, killed 13-year-old Coby Keogh, and 19-year-old Joey Gregory.
Police said early on that they believe the blaze, on June 30, was sparked by an e-bike, with an investigation also involving trading standards under way.
After an e-bike fire claimed the lives of Josh Pearson, 28, and Danielle Bamber, 24, in Peter Street, on July 17 2024, an electrical fault on the battery was blamed.
The make and model of the bike remains unknown - it is believed to have been destroyed by flames - but it was “highly likely a converted e-bike”, fire chiefs told The Blackpool Lead.
In fact, while lithium-ion batteries found in e-bikes, as well as mobile phones and laptops, all pose a risk when charging, there is an important distinction between bikes bought from the likes of Halfords and those bought second-hand online or modified.
“In recent years, the number of fires caused by lithium batteries has rapidly increased,” the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said.
“In the last three years, over 70% of these incidents involved a charger.”
But the service added: “LFRS does not regularly attend e-bike incidents that have been supplied by reputable manufacturers/retailers.
“Most of our e-bike incidents involve converted e-bikes or second-hand e-bikes and/or batteries.”
While all e-bikes are technically legal, there are rules that users must follow to use them in public.
They must have pedals and have riders aged 14 or older, their motor must not exceed 250W and the electronic assistance must automatically switch off when the bike hits 15.5mph.
Using bikes with a more powerful motor, faster speeds or twist throttle that propels the bike without pedalling classes them as a motor vehicle and requires registration, a licence and insurance to ride in public.
Modifying e-bikes to become faster - or adding conversion kits to turn regular bikes into e-bikes - is also not illegal.
But there is a legal responsibility for work to be done safely, and there is a particular risk when people tamper with legitimate batteries or conversion kits to boost power output with the sole aim of making bikes go faster.
There are also concerns about grey market imports, which “usually” come from abroad and “do not offer the same safety protections as those sold through reputable sources”, a spokesperson for Lancashire Police said.
“The same risks of overheating exist.”
The force has now issued a “warning to anyone currently in possession of such e-machines not to charge these within the home, never to leave these unattended, only use equipment as per manufacturers’ guidance and be very careful to understand what is being purchased”.
It added: “Cheaper products are cheaper for a reason.”
The council’s public protection boss, Cllr Dave Flanagan, said: “Our trading standards team have been visiting and advising local businesses concerned in the sale or modification of e-bikes.
“During spot checks on seven premises, we have issued guidance and advice. One business was found to be modifying and advertising bikes illegally, and eight modified pedal bikes were seized.
“Each had been retrofitted with conversion kits and then listed for sale as an e-bike without proper manufacturer testing, putting both buyers and the business at risk should an incident occur.”
The bikes are not just being sold in brick-and-mortar shops.
It took less than a minute for The Blackpool Lead to see e-bikes capable of 30mph being sold locally on Facebook.
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