A company was fined for selling unsafe e-bike conversion kits in East London.
London E-Bikes Ltd was fined £8,000 after conversion kits that allowed bikes to go over the legal speed limit of 25kmph were found in the shop in Tower Hamlets.
Conversion kits turn a normal bicycle into an e-bike, by adding an electric motor and a battery.
Councillor Kabir Ahmed, Cabinet member for Public Protection said: “These e-bike kits were putting people’s safety at risk, whether from the bikes being able to travel at high speeds, or due to the fire risk.”
The kits are unsafe as they don’t comply with regulations on the maximum speed limit of 25kmph, and the battery can increase risks of fire.
London E-Bikes Ltd admitted having seventeen 250W and one 500W e-Bike conversion kits for sale, and pleaded guilty on October 6 at Thames Magistrates Court.
Store manager, Mohammed Hasan, pleaded guilty to two offences relating to the sale of 18 unsafe e-bike conversion kits and was fined £120 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £48 and costs of £1,030.
The kits sold by London E-Bikes Ltd are illegal in the UK and raise concerns of battery compatibility that can lead to fire risks.
In 2025, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) registered 171 e-bikes fires, with Tower Hamlets ranking 3rd on the most e-bikes and e-scooters fires per borough.
The LFB said that lithium-ion battery failure, conversion kits and chargers are often the cause of these fires and that items that don’t meet UK safety standards, whether bought new or second-hand, are more likely to catch on fire.
Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First said: “If a conversion kit is sold without a compatible and compliant battery and charger, it often leaves the consumer with the responsibility of finding a pair that match.
“This puts them at risk of buying an incompatible charger for their battery, which can lead to overcharging and increase the risk of a fire.”
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), the UK’s national product regulator, has released a safety regulatory guidance for businesses to ensure e-bike conversion kits are compliant and safe.
Featured image credit: Ismael Juan via Vecteezy
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