Cambridge e-bike fire survivor 'having to start life over again'
Pre-inquest hearings are due to be held today
A man who lost his family when an e-bike battery exploded at their home has said he's still finding it tough to move on with life.
In June 2023, Scott Peden's life changed forever when partner Gemma Germeney, his daughter Lilly, son Oliver and their two dogs were killed after the blaze in Sackville Close.
Pre-inquest hearings into the trio's deaths are due to be held today.
"They enter my thoughts the first thing when I wake up and they're the last thing I think about every night," Scott said.
"The difficult thing is moving on; this has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do and no one understands what it's like having to start your life over again."
Scott's campaign
The blaze began when Scott’s e-bike, which he used for commuting, overheated while charging under the staircase.
After the original lithium-ion battery was stolen earlier in the year, Scott had replaced it with a less expensive alternative found online.
Following the fire, Scott was critically injured trying to save Gemma 31, Lilly, 8, and Oliver, 4, and spent more than a month in hospital.
He's since been calling for tighter measures around the safety of lithium batteries found in e-bikes and e-scooters, taking his campaign to Parliament.
"We've managed to get all knock-off and off-brand batteries taken off from online forums such as eBay and Amazon which will make it much safer for people to shop," he said.
"We've still got a way to go though, but the more awareness we can raise, the more we can do."
Bill made into law
In summer 2024, Scott said the then newly-elected Labour Government's plans to introduce a Product Safety and Metrology Bill was "one of the best things that could happen".
The Bill - now named the Product Safety and Metrology Act - had aimed to "address challenges, such as the fire risk associated with e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries" and was given Royal Assent last year.
Scott's also backed another new law being debated - the Lithium Ion Battery Safety Bill - which aims to regulate the sale, storage and disposal of these batteries found in devices like e-bikes.
The Bill is currently passing through the House of Lords.
Two years ago, a senior coroner called for more regulation of the sale of lithium batteries and their chargers after a fire caused by one in Bristol led to a man's death.
While charity Electrical Safety First have called on politicians of all parties to agree on laws that will help prevent future deaths caused by e-bikes and their batteries.
Scott has previously said increasing access to public, rentable e-bikes and e-scooters could reduce the need for individuals to bring them into their homes, significantly lowering the risk of fire.
But he knows more work must be done to continue spreading awareness.
"The best way to spread the knowledge is to keep it in the public's eye," Scott added.
"The more we can talk about it, the more people will hear about it and going to understand how dangerous these things can be when they're either damaged, getting old or modified.
"We know we've got many people backing us and many people knowing we're following the right course."