If a battery begins to smoke or catches fire: get out immediately, raise the alarm, call 999 and do not attempt to tackle the fire yourself. That is London Fire Brigade’s wording, which adds that lithium-ion battery fires can spread rapidly and produce toxic smoke. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) likewise says people should never try to extinguish lithium-ion battery fires themselves but leave the area or building as quickly as possible and call 999.
The rest of this guide is about the step before any fire: finding out whether an e-scooter, its battery or its charger has been recalled or reported. It draws on OPSS pages on GOV.UK and London Fire Brigade pages, all read on 25 October 2026. OPSS says e-scooters can be used on private land but should not be used on public roads unless they are part of an official rental trial. General information, not advice on a particular product.
What is the OPSS list of recalls, reports and alerts?
OPSS publishes a searchable list called Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls. When read, it held 3,798 entries and could be filtered by alert type, risk level, product category, measure type and date. OPSS says the list can be searched to check products a person owns and that people can subscribe to email updates when new products are added.
It describes three kinds of entry:
- Product recalls: specific products sold in the UK that may require action to receive a free replacement, repair or refund from the manufacturer or a retailer.
- Product safety reports: specific products found in the UK where measures other than a recall have been ordered by an authority or are being taken by a business.
- Product safety alerts: notices about product categories or sectors with risks of serious injury or fatality, where OPSS requests immediate steps from businesses, authorities and possibly consumers.
Does the list cover e-scooters?
OPSS’s “Buy Safe, Be Safe” guidance says OPSS and local regulators remove unsafe and non-compliant e-bikes, e-scooters, batteries and chargers from the market where they are identified, and it directs readers to search the list for products subject to a report, alert or recall.
The recalls page carries one limit: the list does not cover food and drink, vehicles, or medicines and medical devices. It points to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency checker for vehicle notices. It does not say how that wording applies to e-scooters, and the category filter on the list had no category named for e-scooters when read.
Why register the scooter with the manufacturer?
London Fire Brigade says e-bikes and e-scooters, or their components, may occasionally be recalled if a safety issue is identified, and that registering with the manufacturer lets it contact an owner quickly if an important safety alert or recall is issued. Registration is usually done on the manufacturer’s website using details such as model number, serial number and purchase date. The Brigade says a removable battery may also have its own serial number, and that serial and model numbers are often printed on the frame, the battery casing, or the packaging or manual.
An example: a battery pack withdrawn from sale
An OPSS Product Safety Report published on 22 January 2024 covers UPP Battery e-bike battery packs, models U004 and U004-1, sold via Amazon, AliBaba, eBay, Made in China and Desertcart. It says the packs present a serious risk of fire because of the potential for thermal runaway, and that OPSS issued Withdrawal Notices to distributors requiring removal from sale. For owners, it advises stopping use of the battery immediately and disposing of it via the local household waste disposal site, after checking that the centre accepts this type of battery.
That report concerns e-bike batteries, and its disposal advice is for that product only.
What if a battery or charger is recalled?
London Fire Brigade’s advice is to stop using the product immediately, follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and arrange repair, replacement or return if required. It adds: do not continue to use a battery or charger identified as unsafe.
Warning signs that need no recall notice
Both bodies list signs to act on straight away. The Brigade names a battery that becomes extremely hot to the touch, one that is swollen or bulging, lumps, leaking or damage to the casing, and hissing or cracking sounds or strong chemical smells. It says to turn the device off and unplug it, call the manufacturer or retailer, and report a faulty battery to the local Trading Standards office. OPSS says to stop using the charger or battery immediately if it is overheating, deforming, hissing, cracking, smelling, smoking or performing poorly.
The bottom line
OPSS publishes a searchable list of recalls, reports and alerts, and London Fire Brigade says registering a scooter with its manufacturer lets the manufacturer contact the owner quickly about a safety alert or recall. If a recall affects a battery or charger, the Brigade says to stop using it and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If a battery smokes or catches fire, the first steps are to get out, raise the alarm and call 999. The site’s guide to battery fire safety covers buying, charging and storing.
Sources
- Product Recalls and Alerts, Office for Product Safety and Standards, last updated 6 October 2026 (gov.uk)
- Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls, Office for Product Safety and Standards, read 25 October 2026 (gov.uk)
- Buy Safe, Be Safe: avoid e-bike and e-scooter fires, Office for Product Safety and Standards, 24 October 2024 (gov.uk)
- Product Safety Report: UPP Battery E-Bike Battery Packs (2401-0083), Office for Product Safety and Standards, 22 January 2024 (gov.uk)
- Registering your e-bike or e-scooter for safety alerts and product recalls, London Fire Brigade, read 25 October 2026 (london-fire.gov.uk)
- Spot the warning signs: Could your e-bike or e-scooter start a fire?, London Fire Brigade, read 25 October 2026 (london-fire.gov.uk)
- What to do if there’s a fire caused by an e-bike or e-scooter, London Fire Brigade, read 25 October 2026 (london-fire.gov.uk)