London E-Bikes Ltd fined £4,500 over 18 unsafe conversion kits

London E-Bikes Ltd, trading as London Bikes, was fined £4,500 after admitting two offences involving 18 unsafe e-bike conversion kits, Tower Hamlets Council said in a report published on 10 November.

The guilty pleas were entered at Thames Magistrates’ Court on 6 October 2026. The company admitted possessing seventeen 250-watt kits and one 500-watt kit for sale in breach of Regulation 5(2) of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.

The court also ordered the company to pay a £1,800 victim surcharge and £2,060 in costs. Together with the fine, those payments total £8,360.

According to the council, the kits allowed bicycles to exceed the road-legal assisted-speed limit. It also identified missing advice on compatible batteries, creating a risk that buyers would pair the equipment with unsuitable components.

Electrical Safety First engineer Giuseppe Capanna, quoted in the council’s report, warned that incompatible batteries and chargers can cause overcharging and increase fire risk. The council urged consumers to buy from reputable suppliers that check equipment before sale.

The prosecution followed a borough-wide Trading Standards investigation, with work involving London Fire Brigade and Electrical Safety First.