Man who lost family in Cambridge e-bike fire backs fresh calls for tougher safety laws

A man who lost his family in an e-bike fire in Cambridge is backing calls for new laws around buying substandard batteries.

Scott Peden lost his partner Gemma and their children Lilly, 8 and Oliver, 4, when an e-bike battery left charging overnight exploded in their home in Sackville Close last June.

The family's two dogs also died in the blaze, which left Scott in a coma for a month.

Last year, Scott exclusively told his story to Greatest Hits Radio about what happened that night.

He's backing charity Electrical Safety First, which aims to introduce tougher safety laws to prevent further tragedies such as independent third party certification for e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries to reduce the risk of substandard batteries entering people’s homes.

Currently, manufacturers can self-declare their e-bikes and batteries are safe.

"It's the first step in a long process"

"Just regulation on second-hand batteries is the first step in a long process and we do hope to get going with it with the next government," Scott said.

"It (online websites) will say exactly the same thing as mine (e-bike battery) said, 'good runner, works reliably' but how do you know?

"These things need at least a third party certification before they get sold onto the public to make sure this sort of disaster doesn't reoccur in the future.

"I'm very enthusiastic; I'm not expecting it (new measures) overnight and I'm not expecting the bigger laws to be put in straight away, but it's a one step at a time process."

Calls for change in the law

After our interview with Scott, Electrical Safety First, a leading electrical safety charity, responded with a warning of the dangers e-bike batteries can pose.

And in February, we travelled to Westminster alongside Scott who met with MPs, firefighters and nurses to raise awareness of these dangers.

It's part of an ongoing investigation we've been leading into the issues of e-bike and e-scooters, and the risks their lithium-ion batteries provide.

Electrical Safety First's latest recommendations come as it published its 'Battery Breakdown' report, the first report of its kind to assess the growing issue of e-bike and e-scooter fires and propose solutions to reduce the risk to lives.

Since 2020, the charity has found over 190 people have been injured, and at least 13 lives have been lost, due to e-bike and e-scooter fires in the UK.

"Legislation is desperately needed"

Lesley Rudd, chief executive at Electrical Safety First, said: "Right across the country people are dying because of these fires, and people like Scott are left living with the grief and devastation.

"Legislation is desperately needed and time is of the essence. We owe it to those who have lost their lives to ensure we do all we can to prevent further tragedies.

"All political parties must to come together to tackle this issue and we want to work with any future government to address the problem as a priority. They will have the power to save lives and prevent future heartache."

Other stories

Other victims include Sofia Duarte, who died in London on New Year's Day 2023 at the age of 21, when a converted e-bike caught fire during the night. Sofia was unable to escape the building with the fire blocking her escape route.

Alda Simoes, a friend of Ms Duarte, said: "We will do everything in our power to prevent others going through what Sofia's mum, me, family and friends are going through.

"Change needs to happen. I am urging the next Government and all political parties to please, help us create change."

Eddie MacGregor's home in Orton Goldhay was burned down last year after an e-bike was left charging while on a family trip out.

On March 21, fire crews were called to an exploding e-bike on a train platform in Sutton, London, with dramatic footage showing flaming battery cells being projected from the battery across the platform.

Fire crews in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, were called to a property fire on April 6 following a severe fire that resulted in one person being taken to hospital with serious injuries. The cause was deemed to be a charging e-bike. Five others suffered minor injuries.

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