The social housing sector faces a rising toll of injuries or even deaths in the coming years unless it acts on the fire risks posed by lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, the UK’s leading expert on the subject has warned.

Dr Paul Christensen, Professor of Pure and Applied Electrochemistry at Newcastle University and Senior Advisor to the National Fire Chiefs Council, told an HQN event that fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are on the rise as knowledge about the risks has failed to keep pace with their wide-spread use in micro-mobility devices, such as e-bikes and e-scooters.

“The London Fire Brigade are currently dealing with about one house fire a day [linked to lithium-ion batteries] and it’s rising rapidly,” he said.

“Over the next few years, I expect every local authority or housing association to have a death or deaths on their hands because of these devices unless action is taken to educate the public and to provide safe and secure charging places.”

Dr Christensen highlighted two recent fires in tower blocks that were caused by electric bikes being charged.

The first was in June in a residential block near Grenfell Tower when up to 30 residents were evacuated and one person was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

“You would have thought the proximity to Grenfell would have made the government sit up and take notice, but no,” he said. “The government has banned all micro-mobility devices from the Houses of Parliament buildings. Quite rightly, it’s protecting its own members but it’s doing bugger all for the rest of us in this country.”

In September, an electric bike was responsible for a fire in a 16-storey flat in Bristol which resulted in a man falling to his death from a balcony while he tried to escape.

Dr Christensen had a warning for all social housing providers: “Do not allow people to charge their e-scooters, e-bikes or other micro-mobility devices indoors.

“If people have to charge devices indoors, and they shouldn’t, do not do it at night, do not do it while you’re asleep, and do not do it when there’s no-one there because you will be putting other people’s lives at risk.”