Twelve survivors of an ebike battery fire that killed a man have launched legal action against their landlords and the battery’s manufacturer.
The 12 managed to escape in the early hours of 5 March 2023, after an overcrowded flat they were living in – in Maddocks House in Shadwell, east London – caught fire due to an explosion found by a coroner to have been caused by a faulty ebike battery. Mizanur Rahman, a 41-year-old father-of-two, died in the fire.
The legal action, thought to be the first of its kind involving ebikes, is being brought against both the manufacturer of the ebike battery, Leon Cycle Ltd, and the landlords who have already pleaded guilty to housing offences in relation to the fire.
The 12 survivors involved in the legal action are among 20 men of Bangladeshi heritage who were living in the two-bedroomed flat at the time. They paid £100 cash a week to sleep in bug-infested bunk beds.
They are suing Leon Cycle Ltd for negligence and under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
They are also suing the landlords of the property, Sofina Begum and Aminur Rahman, for negligence and under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. The landlords pleaded guilty to a total of nine criminal charges after the fire.
Nazmush Shahadat, 25, a student, who is one of the survivors of the fire involved in the legal action, said Mizanur Rahman had only moved into the house a day or two before.
“What happened on the night of the fire has left a mark on us that will last for the rest of our lives. I’m getting involved in this legal action because I don’t want what happened to Mizanur to happen to anyone else.”
On Thursday the government launched a safety campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of buying faulty and unsafe ebikes, e-scooters and components such as batteries. At Mizanur Rahman’s inquest, the coroner found that the battery had probably been plugged into a charger with a different voltage rating.
The Department for Business and Trade’s “Buy Safe, Be Safe” campaign urges the public to buy safe ebikes and e-scooters and to avoid rogue online sellers.
Unsafe ebikes have resulted in hundreds of deadly fires and injured dozens of people across the UK. In 2023, the London fire brigade attended a fire every two days as a result of fires related to ebikes and e-scooters.
Many of these fires are caused by parts incompatible with ebikes and scooters, as well as the purchase of defective or poorly manufactured parts sold by rogue online sellers.
The campaign focuses on encouraging people to buy safe products and parts and to seek professional help when converting or repairing ebikes and e-scooters.
A coroner’s inquest into Rahman’s death in September 2023 found he died of heat and smoke inhalation injuries. The coroner made a prevention of future deaths report calling on the government to introduce tougher regulations on ebike batteries and chargers.
Daniel Cooper, a solicitor at Imran Khan and Partners, said: “We act for survivors and bereaved families across the UK who have been victims of ebike battery fires. This is an urgent issue of national importance. Action must be taken now to hold companies who supply dangerous, defective lithium batteries to account.”
Leon Cycle Ltd has been approached for comment.