Illegal e-scooter and e-bike importer prosecuted by Islington

4 Şubat 2025

Islington Council has successfully prosecuted a local trader, Sardar Rassa, for importing nearly 1,000 unsafe e-scooters, e-bikes and scooters – many of which were found to be non-compliant with UK product safety standards.

 

The consignment – which included 600 children’s scooters,140 adult scooters, 180 e-scooters and 54 e-bikes – was first flagged at a port in Suffolk in November 2021 when an initial test revealed safety failings.

Despite being advised to return the goods to China, Rassa insisted that the e-scooters, e-bikes and scooters were legally compliant. The enforcement authorities released the consignment, which was subsequently moved to a storage facility in Islington, where Islington Council’s Trading Standards ordered their immediate suspension until they could be shown to be safe.

However, Rassa failed to conduct any product safety testing, contrary to his legal responsibilities. Testing commissioned by the Council revealed serious safety issues, ranging from improper labelling to critical component failures, which led to the 243 e-scooters and scooters still in storage being seized by Trading Standards Officers. It is not known what Rassa did with the remaining stock.

Rassa, from Islington, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 6 January 2025 after pleading guilty to 12 offences relating to product safety failings and suspension notice breaches. He was handed a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months.

Unsafe e-scooters have caused a growing number of life-threatening incidents involving lithium-ion batteries, which can overheat and explode. In 2023, ten people were killed in fires caused by e-scooters and e-bikes in the UK.

Cllr Angelo Weekes, Executive Member for Community Safety, said: “Unsafe e-scooters can pose a real danger, and we have zero tolerance for unsafe products in Islington. We take tough action to protect our residents and ensure their safety. Thanks to the hard work of our Trading Standards and Legal Services teams, this importer has been held to account.”

Islington Council urges consumers to buy from trusted sellers and follow government guidance: Buy Safe, Be Safe: avoid e-bike and e-scooter fires – GOV.UK

 

source: https://www.islington.media/news/illegal-e-scooter-and-e-bike-importer-prosecuted-by-islington-council