Cambridgeshire warns of danger from modified e-bikes after fire

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 05:02 · Archive

Cambridgeshire County Council is warning of extreme risk from illegally modified e-bikes after a faulty battery was implicated in a fire that killed Gemma Germeney, 31, and her two children, aged eight and four. An ongoing inquest heard the most probable cause of the fire was the failure of a charging battery pack. The inquest found that the battery had been replaced and wired in a way that made it dangerous.

The council has backed a motion calling for better awareness of the rules around e-bikes and e-scooters. Councillor Anna Bradnam said the risks needed to be made absolutely clear to residents who choose to alter batteries, and to garage workers who might be asked to solve electrical problems. She said having powerful batteries charged in homes overnight posed an extreme risk.

Councillor David Levien, who brought forward the motion, warned that modified vehicles can cause serious injuries through not just speed but their weight too. High-performance models contain sufficient energy at their top legal speed to be capable of causing serious injury or death to members of the public and the rider, he said.

How it is being reported

• ‘Extreme danger’ posed by modified e-bikes as faulty battery implicated in fatal fireCambridgeshire County Council is warning of the “extreme risk” posed by illegally modified e-bikes after a faulty battery was implicated in the deaths of two children.Cambs Times · 22 Oct, 04:00
• ‘Extreme danger’ posed by modified e-bikes as faulty battery implicated in fatal fireCambridgeshire County Council is warning of the “extreme risk” posed by illegally modified e-bikes after a faulty battery was implicated in the deaths of two children.Ely Standard · 22 Oct, 04:00

In this story: Cambridgeshire County Council · Gemma Germeney · Anna Bradnam · David Levien · Waterbeach · Trumpington

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