The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) does not currently hold data on the number of fires caused by lithium-ion battery failures attended by Fire and Rescue Services in Slough, or elsewhere in England.

MHCLG collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs), with this data including the cause of the fire and the source of the ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available here. This does not yet include data on whether fire incidents attended were caused by lithium-ion failures.

The Fire and Rescue Analysis Platform (FaRDaP) is now used for the collection of fire and rescue incident data, and work is ongoing to update the data it will collect, with data covering lithium-ion batteries’ role in fire incidents potentially able to be included in the future.

In addition, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) conduct research into product safety risks associated with lithium-ion batteries and are working closely with MHCLG and other Government Departments to develop this knowledge base. A report from January 2025 by the OPSS that covers the root causes of fire incidents often associated with lithium-ion battery failures is available here.

There is currently no set date for Fire and Rescue Services to record whether fires involve lithium-ion batteries or electric vehicles. However, development work is ongoing to enable the collection of these data points, with the intention that this capability will be in place by the end of 2026. As part of the development of Version 2 of the Fire and Rescue Data Platform (FaRDaP), we will be adding new reference data to allow fire and rescue services to record and report on when an incident involves lithium‑ion batteries or electric vehicles. This will include identifying whether the source of ignition was a battery and, where relevant, whether that battery was on charge at the time of the incident. These additions will ensure that such information is collected and reported consistently across services. Publication of the data is currently expected by the end of next year.

The Environment Agency is responsible for reviewing fire prevention plans (FPP) for energy-from-waste (EfW) facilities in England under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) 2016. Under the EPR, there are no statutory consultees. However, the Environment Agency consults the local fire and rescue service on every permit application which it receives for a new EfW facility, which will include the proposed FPP.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government collects data on incidents attended by fire and rescue services in England, including information on the cause of the fire and the source of ignition.

This data is published in a range of fire statistics releases, available on GOV.UK at: Fire statistics - GOV.UK (attached).

Our new Fire and Rescue Analysis Platform (FaRDaP) has recently been rolled out, and work is ongoing to update the data it will collect, with data covering lithium-ion batteries role in fire incidents potentially able to be included in the future.

However, the data currently collected does not identify whether incidents attended by fire and rescue services were caused by or involved lithium‑ion battery failures, nor does it record whether a battery exploded. As a result, the Department is unable to provide figures for incidents involving lithium batteries in England over the past five years.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a range of legal duties on Responsible Persons (the person in control of a premises which can include building owners, landlords and employers), chief among which is the need to undertake a fire risk assessment. This is to identify any general fire safety precautions that need to be taken to make sure that the premises, and people within it, are safe from fire, and put those precautions in place.

To help Responsible Persons discharge their duties, MHCLG makes available a suite of guidance which it is currently reviewing and updating, including the offices and shops guide, so it better reflects current legislation, practice and emerging risks. This update will give consideration to the risks arising from products such as vapes and other small electrical items containing lithium-ion batteries.

As part of the development of Version 2 of the Fire and Rescue Data Platform (FaRDaP), we will be adding new reference data to allow fire and rescue services to record and report on when an incident involves lithium‑ion batteries or electric vehicles. This will include identifying whether the source of ignition was a battery and, where relevant, whether that battery was on charge at the time of the incident. These additions will ensure such information is collected and reported consistently across services.

Product safety laws require consumer products containing lithium-ion batteries, and batteries themselves, to be safe when they are placed on the market. Businesses have obligations to ensure the safety of products they manufacturer or import, and regulators have powers to act when products do not comply. In 2024, my department published statutory guidelines covering the safety of lithium-ion e-bike batteries. In 2025 the Office for Product Safety and Standards published research by Warwick Manufacturing Group into e-bike battery safety, which provides new insight into how lithium-ion batteries fail in real-world scenarios, and best practices for safer battery design.

Defra has not carried out a formal assessment of the potential impact on the environment of lithium-ion battery-related fires recorded between 2023 and 2024. Battery-related fire incidents are a significant concern, and we remain engaged with wider Government and with industry, including waste disposal operators, on this issue.

We are currently considering options for reform of the batteries regulations in the UK as a means to address a range of issues, including fires, and we are in the process of engaging further with industry and other stakeholders on those options.

In relation to battery energy storage systems sites, which can use large numbers of lithium-ion batteries, the Government has consulted on the principle of including these within environmental permitting regulations to manage the potential environmental and public health risks from fires at these facilities. The Government response to this consultation will be published at the earliest opportunity.

The Fire and Rescue Data Platform (FaRDaP) Version 1 was successfully rolled out to 48 Fire and Rescue Services in England, Scotland and Wales by 14 November 2025. At present, Fire and Rescue Services are not required to record whether fires involve lithium-ion batteries or electric vehicles in national incident data, and no date has been set for when such recording will become mandatory. However, work is underway on FaRDaP Version 2 to update the data collected, including the development of categories to capture incidents involving lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles (including e-bikes and e-scooters).

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs), including the cause of the fire and the source of the ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available on gov.uk here. This does not yet include data on whether fire incidents attended were caused by lithium-ion failures specifically.

We will keep the contents of these publications under review as part of the development of our recently rolled out Fire and Rescue Analysis Platform (FaRDaP).

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) conduct research into product safety risks associated with lithium-ion batteries and are working closely with MHCLG and other Government Departments to develop this knowledge base. A report from January 2025 by the OPSS that covers the root causes of fire incidents often associated with lithium-ion battery failures is available here.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government is working closely with Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) and officials from other Government Departments to build an evidence base, share intelligence and develop mitigations to tackle the fire risks linked to lithium-ion batteries and personal light electric vehicles (PLEVs).

The department collects data on incidents attended by FRSs with this data including the cause of the fire and the source of ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available here. This does not yet include data on whether fire incidents attended were caused by or involved lithium-ion batteries.

Our new Fire and Rescue Data Analysis Platform (FaRDAP) has been rolled out, and work is ongoing to update the data it will collect covering both the questions and answer categories to capture lithium-ion batteries, and their uses in vehicles like e-scooters and PLEVs.

National Operational Guidance has been developed for fires involving alternative fuel vehicles to support fire and rescue services when attending such incidents. It contains specific hazard guidance, including control measures on how to identify and immobilise the vehicle and how to isolate high-voltage systems.

The Department for Transport works closely with the Home Office and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on lithium battery safety. The Government has published guidance for roadside recovery operators working with electric vehicles, many of which contain a lithium battery. This guidance is applicable to incidents on the Strategic Road Network. National Highways continues to work with emergency services to ensure that any incidents are resolved as effectively as possible.

Department for Transport (DfT) officials work closely with and regularly meet the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to monitor and discuss the risk of lithium batteries incidents, alongside other safety risks. The Dangerous Goods Governance Board meets quarterly to manage the joint DfT/CAA Lithium Batteries project which aims to reduce the risk posed by the carriage of undeclared lithium batteries aboard commercial aircraft to a level as low as reasonably practicable. In addition to the reduction of risk, the project provides assurance to the State Safety Board, which meets every 6 months, that the UK’s exposure to this safety risk is monitored, prioritised, responded to and effectively mitigated. There are also multiple other forums where DfT officials and the CAA discuss safety risks formally and informally, including lithium batteries.

The lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles are classified as “waste industrial batteries” once they can no longer be used in a vehicle. Sometimes they are repurposed for something else, for example, energy storage. Otherwise, they must be sent to an appropriate battery recycling facility — they cannot be disposed of, for example, incinerated or landfilled.

The battery recycling centres in England must be approved and have the right environmental permits from the Environment Agency. You can find a list of these approved facilities online in the Environment Agency’s Public Register Public Registers Online.

Some batteries may be sent to another country for recycling. If so, they must go through an approved exporter. These exporters are also listed in the same Public Register.