E-scooter batteries pose fire risk, Bristol chief says

Electric scooters in Bristol have been called a "fire risk" by the head of Avon Fire Authority.

More than 200 of the vehicles were damaged in a fire at the Voi warehouse sparked by an electrical fault.

Bristol City Council claimed in a meeting there was growing evidence electric scooters posed a "hazard".

Voi said safety was its top priority and it had strict measures in place to ensure all batteries were handled and stored in a safe manner.

Avon Fire Authority chairwoman and Bristol City Councillor Brenda Massey told the meeting on 11 January the fire service had experienced "considerable difficulty" extinguishing e-scooter fires because their batteries were sealed, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"It appears that the only way to put out a fire of this nature is to completely submerge the scooter in water," she said.

"The result is that the scooter is then contaminated, and it is difficult to remove it safely."

Referring to the warehouse fire on New Year's Day in Brislington, she said: "Although Avon Fire & Rescue Service put out the fire, they had real difficulty getting a representative of the company to attend on site, as they were extremely reluctant to attend the incident.

"This follows an earlier fire at a house where a private scooter was being stored and resulted in the house being virtually gutted by the severity of the fire."

Cllr Massey added: "Given there is now increasing evidence, both in Bristol and other areas that they are a fire risk, appropriate arrangements for safety and disposal are essential.

"As it appears that they will be an ongoing feature in the city, sanctioned by the council, can we be reassured that adequate safety measures are in place to deal with these hazards?"

Voi, the company running the regional trial with the West of England Combined Authority (Weca), said it worked closely with fully licensed specialist partners to recycle and dispose of damaged vehicles and batteries safely.

In response to councillor Massey's concerns, Voi said that at no point was it reluctant to attend the warehouse incident and that a representative was on site just after the fire began, before another senior representative arrived shortly afterwards followed by the Voi warehouse manager and his wider team.

In a written reply, Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said: "It is important to highlight this is a trial and all safety concerns are continually evaluated by Weca and Voi to improve safety."

A review by Transport for London (TfL) found defective lithium batteries could set light to the vehicles and they are now banned on public transport in the capital.