Latest news with #SouthWalesFire
BBC News
16-05-2025
- BBC News
E-bike lithium batteries 'fastest growing' fire risk
Lithium batteries present the "fastest growing" risk of fires, a Welsh fire and rescue service has said. The batteries, and specifically lithium-ion batteries, are used to power a number of devices including e-bikes and scooters and their chargers, mobile phones, laptops and e-vapes. Campaigning charity Electrical Safety First said fires caused by substandard e-scooter and e-bike batteries were "tearing through homes" and want stricter rules to be introduced around their sale to reduce the UK government said it was updating product safety laws around the batteries to help keep people safe and taking action at ports and borders to stop unsafe products reaching consumers. The warning comes after seven people were taken to hospital earlier this month when a house fire in Cardiff was started by a lithium-ion battery-powered scooter. "The primary risk around these scooters is actually lithium-ion batteries and the thermal runaway that can happen from that," Marc Davies, home safety manager from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS), said. A thermal runaway is an accelerating increase in temperature caused by chemical reactions which can lead to fire, explosion and "unpredictable fire behaviour", according to the UK's National Fire Chiefs Council. According to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, there were 136 fires involving lithium-ion batteries in south Wales from April 2020 to March 2025, with 100 recorded in the last two those reported fires over the last five years:30 people were injured with 24 of these occurring in the last two years49 were accidental dwelling fires, with 34 of these occurring in the last two years. One of these incidents led to a fatality linked to a fire involving a fault in a battery the 136 incidents, 39 involved an e-scooter or an e-bike with 25 of these incidents occurring in the last two years. These led to 13 people being injured, 10 of which occurred in the last two were 16 accident dwelling fires in south Wales which involved an e-scooter or an e-bike with 10 of these occurring in the last two years. These incidents led to five people injured with three of these occurring in the last two years In mid and west Wales, there were 26 incidents involving lithium batteries from 1 April 2020 to 5 May 2025. Four of these incidents involved e-bikes while one involved an e-scooter. Out of the 26 incidents, three people were injured. In north Wales there were 62 incidents from April 2022 to the end of February 2025. During that time seven fires involved an e-bike and four involved an e-scooter, leading to nine injuries. A spokesperson from Electrical Safety First, a charity which aims to reduce deaths and injuries caused by electricity in UK homes, said fires caused by substandard e-scooter and e-bike batteries were "tearing through homes", putting lives at risk and causing "immense" damage to property. "These fires are especially dangerous due to the huge amount of energy that is released if a fully charged e-scooter or e-bike battery fails, triggering a process called thermal runaway which is almost impossible to stop once it has started," they charity is now urging the UK government to use the new product regulation and metrology bill to introduce stricter rules around the sale of batteries for e-bikes and e-scooters to reduce the risk of a fire. A department for business and trade spokesperson said it took the risk of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, including those linked to e-bikes and e-scooters, "very seriously". "That's why we launched our 'Buy Safe, Be Safe' campaign to raise awareness of this important issue," they said. "We are also updating our product safety laws to help keep the public safe, as well as taking action at ports and borders to stop unsafe or non-compliant products from reaching consumers." April's e-scooter blaze in Cardiff is not the only recent fire caused by an lithium-ion battery. A year earlier in March 2024, SWFRS warned of the dangers that can be posed by lithium-ion batteries after a fire gutted a family home in Newbridge, Caerphilly county. The family who lived at the house managed to escape unharmed, along with their four to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Mr Davies of SWFRS said people should do their research and buy devices, batteries and chargers from reputable retailers. Otherwise there is a risk they can "overheat, catch fire and almost lead to a firework-like explosion", he said. He said other risk factors for e-scooters included wear and tear caused by kerbs, speed bumps and water ingress, having appropriate chargers and the rise of universal chargers. He warned against buying counterfeit goods as they do not meet safety standards. "You can't go wrong with ensuring something is British or UK standard, or European CE certification, and high street versus online have their own set of rules," he said. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is also urging people to dispose of lithium-ion batteries safely following several fires believed to have been caused by incorrectly discarded damaged or crushed, they can release flammable electrolytes, leading to intense fires at waste fires release harmful gases, and the resulting hazardous smoke can pose serious risks to both humans and the environment, NRW said. Residues from burnt waste can also pollute surface and groundwater, leading to long-term land Brunning, waste regulation and enforcement team leader at NRW, said such fires not only damage the environment "but also put local communities and emergency services at risk".
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
I visited a bedbug-infested hostel and couldn't stay because of what I found
A central Cardiff hostel has been forced to close after guests complained of frequent power cuts, a lack of running water and reports of bedbugs. Mrs Potts Hostel in St Mary Street described itself as a 'hostel in the heart of Cardiff which is designed for backpackers who want that warm and fuzzy feeling they get at home." But numerous guests complained and left negative reviews with reviews on describing the hostel as the 'most uncomfortable night I have ever spent' and saying it was 'rundown, dirty, and felt unsafe." Last week South Wales Fire and Rescue Service issued a prohibition notice forcing a shutdown of the building due to electricity supply issues. According to its Google listing the business is "permanently closed." READ MORE: There's a tiny Italian village hidden away in Welsh woodland, and it's not what you think READ MORE: You can get helicopter rides around Cardiff and the Welsh coast this summer for less than £50 has removed the hostel from its site pending further investigation and it is currently unavailable for guests to book. Mrs Potts Hostel is a separate business to Mrs Potts Chocolate House, also in St Mary Street. I visited the hostel just days before it closed and after spending a few hours inside found that running water and electricity were not working in most of the building and a box of food was being stored under one of the beds. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here. Others I spoke to also reported similar issues during recent stays at the hostel, which has not responded to requests for comment. Jordan Malthouse stayed a night at the hostel and said having visited number of hostels before he had never had a worse experience than at Mrs Potts Hostel. 'I knew it wasn't going to be luxury – I'm paying for a hostel – but I've been to all these hostels around the world and it was the worst I've ever been to," he said. The 25-year-old from Newcastle booked to stay on April 18 while on the way to a camping trip and after arriving claims he realised there was no power in most of the building. 'I checked in about 9pm. I went up, tried to plug my phone in, and there was emergency lighting only. At 10pm I went back down to say: 'I can't charge my phone'.' He claims he was able to charge his phone at reception – one of the few areas of the hostel with electricity – but had to use his phone flashlight to get around the building. Alongside electricity issues Jordan also claims there was no running water in the building for part of his stay which further added to his negative experience. 'It was just absolutely horrendous to be honest with you. The bag of rotting food left under my bed was just vile,' he said. Magda Koperska, who stayed at the hostel on April 25, claims issues with running water continued throughout her stay and was one of the reasons she ultimately cut her two-day visit short after just a day. Arriving at the hostel the 41-year-old claims the electricity was not working and that there was no running water in either her bathroom or any of the other bathrooms that she tried using. Upon arriving at 8pm she said she was unable to get inside the hostel as the access code she was given did not work when she entered it into the intercom at the front door. 'Luckily there was another guest leaving the hostel so I managed to get in through the door but the reception area was all dark. As it turned out, there was no electricity and there was nobody in reception," she said. Having hoped to shower before attending an event that evening she said she was later told by the hostel that the water was working. 'Having seen that text that everything should be working I went into the bathroom to shower but there was no water. So this is the middle of the night – 3.30am. I hadn't showered before the event – now I came back after an almost all night of dancing and I couldn't do anything either.' Raising this issue again in the morning she claims the receptionist she spoke to was 'completely uninterested." Magda added: 'I said there is no water and he sort of shrugged it off.' Magda eventually resorted to upgrading her gym membership so she was able to shower elsewhere before eventually deciding to not stay a second night – a choice she said was also driven by a lack of heating inside. 'Even though it was April for some reason it was very cold at night so there was also no heating at all,' she claims. For Magda the overall experience 'felt a bit like I was squatting somewhere' and she claims she saw 'signs of mould and rotten bits on the wall' while there. Having read a number of reviews of reported bedbugs at the hostel which had left some guests covered in bites, she said she has since felt 'paranoid' that she has brought bedbugs home with her. 'I've cleaned my house top to toe several times and I'm scared bedbugs will appear from my luggage,' she said. Both Magda and Jordan stayed at the hostel in April but issues with running water predate that. Isabella Lane, 19, stayed at the hostel for three nights between February 15 and 18 and while she didn't experience any issues with the electricity she claims the hostel had running water for only one and a half days while she was there. 'Before I went back to the hostel each night I would use the facilities wherever I was and then as soon as I woke up I would have to quickly get changed and then go out and find a café and do the same thing," she said. Having chosen the place for its good location she said that based on the images available online the hostel 'looked pretty nice' but had some idea of what to expect once inside based on online reviews. 'There was nothing else available and those that were were proper hotels that were quite expensive," she said. A spokesperson for South Wales fire service said it attended the hostel on April 29 accompanied by environmental health officers. "During the visit it was identified that there was no electricity supply provided to the fire safety equipment within the premises, such as fire alarm, emergency lighting, etc," they added. "A temporary electricity supply in the form of a portable generator had been in use. However, the fire service was informed that the power supply to the building would cease for several hours due to the generator running out of fuel. We were also informed by the environmental officer that the use of the generator would be prohibited by them due to noise pollution affecting the surrounding buildings. As a result of these findings, the fire service served a prohibition notice under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order on the premises." A spokesman for said: "At all of our accommodation partners are responsible for the information and photos that they upload to our platform as part of their listing. 'In the rare instance that we are alerted to any misrepresentations or issues with a property we immediately investigate and in this case we have suspended the property pending further investigation.' WalesOnline approached Mrs Potts Hostel for comment on several occasions and made efforts to speak with the business' director, Dr Issac Mitias, but we have yet to receive a response.
