East Midlands Railway is set to ban e-scooters, hoverboards and e-skateboards at all of its stations and onboard all of its trains. The rule will come into play on Monday the 19th of December and has been put in place due to the lithium-ion batteries used to power the vehicles carrying potential safety threats.

Faulty, unregulated lithium-ion batteries have seen a number of recent incidents raising awareness of the risks these batteries carry when overheated. As the batteries become too hot, there is no way of reducing the temperature or stopping it from building and therefore extinguishing a fire until the very last reaction has ended. Circumstances such as these can see a huge amount of potentially toxic smoke released and often jets of flame and due to this, East Midlands Railway has recognised that such a malfunction onboard a train service or in a station could easily cause a fire bringing the potential for serious harm to both customers and staff members.

Electric wheelchairs, e-bikes and mobility scooters will be exempt from the ban for those with accessibility needs.

Customers travelling with East Midlands Railway should check with a member of staff if they are unsure or require further information.

Katie Arthur, Head of Safety at East Midlands Railway, said: “After some consideration, and in line with other partners in the rail industry, we are bringing in a ban on e-scooters, hoverboards and e-skateboards from December 19.

“These devices, which are often not approved for use in the UK, pose a potential risk as they contain lithium-ion batteries that are sometimes known to overheat.

“We understand that these devices are popular, but the safety of our customers and staff is our number one priority.”