On 1^st October the Building Safety Act comes into force – you may well have received various pieces correspondence from HML about this since the beginning of the year

By virtue of being over 18m high Regatta Point is designated a Higher-Risk Building (HRB) under the Act and must therefore be registered with the Building Safety Regulator. After 30^th September it will be an offence to allow an HRB to be occupied if it is not registered.

We started the registration process some months ago. This is to inform you that as part of this process a Fire Risk Assessment of the external walls of the building is being carried out on 16^th & 17^th August, which will involve drilling small holes in the walls at various locations. The Assessors will need to access to a representative number of flats (3 in each block) and balconies to carry out their work, which we will arrange individually in the coming week.

Please note that due to the danger of fire that they present it is prohibited to charge, store or park e-bikes or e-scooters:

• anywhere in the common parts of Regatta Point – the entrance lobby, staircases, corridors and lift lobbies. These are all fire escape routes
• on the balconies on the rear of the building.

Any discovered will be removed to outside without further notice.

e-Scooters and e-Bikes.

We attended over 116 fires involving e-Scooters and e-Bikes in 2022. Firefighters have been called to an e-scooter or e-bike fire every two days since the start of 2023.

Charging your e-Bike or e-Scooter 

The majority of fires related to e-bikes and e-scooter have happened in homes. These fires are often caused when charging batteries.

Please pay special attention to bike conversion kits. Do not attempt to modify or tamper with the battery. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.  

Reduce the risk of overheating

• Batteries can get warm during their use. Allow them to cool down before attempting to re-charge.
• Batteries should always be charged on hard flat surfaces where heat can dissipate.
• Batteries can also pose a risk if they have been damaged, so try to ensure they are not getting knocked around while in use or while being carried.
• Batteries should also never be exposed to extremes of temperature.

Follow the instructions

• Always follow manufacturers’ instructions when charging 
• Never leave it charging unattended or charge it while you are asleep.
• You should always make sure you unplug your charger once it’s finished charging.
• Always use the correct charger for your batteries and buy any replacements from a reputable seller.

Where to charge your batteries

• Never block your escape route with e-bikes or e-scooters
• Store and charge them somewhere away from a main through route or exit
• Make sure you and your family have an escape plan in place in the event of a fire. Always call 999, never try to fight the fire yourself.

Using your e-bikes or e-scooter

In 2021 Transport for London (TfL) banned e-scooters from London’s transport network. This is due to a number of fires on the network involving these vehicles. This means you’re unable to take your electric personal vehicles on any TfL service. You can read TfL’s full guidance on e-scooters on their site.

Not all personal electric vehicles, such as e-scooters and e-unicycles are road legal in the UK. This means you can be fined by the police for using them on the road in the UK. Always check to see if you can use your vehicle on public roads.