A MUM has told of the moment an e-bike battery exploded in her living room, sparking a terrifying blaze that wrecked her home.
Mum-of-three Rosie Dobson desperately tried to stamp out the flames that erupted from an unplugged lithium-ion battery that went "off like a firework" at her flat on Saturday, March 15.
Rosie, from Jedburgh, in the Borders, was left in a panic as the hazardous device started to pour out white gas and smoke - an hour after it had been removed from its docking station.
The care home cleaner had been charging the battery for her five-year-old son Dylan's e-bike that was bought as a Christmas present. Luckily, her three children, Alisha, 13, Tyler, 11, and Dylan were not home at the time.
Rosie, 32, told the Record: "It was absolutely horrifying. At first, there was a sort of white gas smell coming from the battery and then it just exploded.
"It kept going off with bang after bang. It was like a firework had gone off.
"I ran out the room to get a tea towel so I could try to lift it and remove it but by that time there were pockets of fire everywhere.
"Flames were shooting out the battery and landing all over the place. My couch ended up on fire and my floor was alight.
"It happened within seconds.
"I raced out the room because bits of burned plastic were sticking to my trousers.
"I was terrified for my life.
"Then my youngest, Dylan, walked in and started screaming when he saw the flames. All the neighbours heard him and came rushing to help us." Rosie bought the Zipper Kids Balance Bike 200W from online shop NitroTek for Dylan's Christmas, setting her back £259.
The mum said the original batteries didn't work and that the exploding battery was a replacement sent by the same firm.
The traumatised mum has said she found the website via Google.
However, when the Record searched "ebikes for children", the website did not appear on the top results.
Items on NitroTek are advertised at cut prices, with the balance bike purchased by Rosie showing at £279.99, down from £349.
Rosie has vowed to never buy an e-bike or e-scooter again and has warned other parents to avoid them.
She said: "I found the website on Google - I just searched electric bikes UK and it came up.
"I've warned everyone who has asked me not to buy the bikes and scooters now. These batteries clearly aren't safe."
Rosie said she dreads to think what would have happened if the battery had exploded during the night. She added: "I'm so glad my children were all out and I can't imagine what could have happened if this had happened overnight.
"We could have all been killed."
Pa...
Mum-of-three Rosie Dobson desperately tried to stamp out the flames that erupted from an unplugged lithium-ion battery that went "off like a firework" at her flat on Saturday, March 15.
Rosie, from Jedburgh, in the Borders, was left in a panic as the hazardous device started to pour out white gas and smoke - an hour after it had been removed from its docking station.
The care home cleaner had been charging the battery for her five-year-old son Dylan's e-bike that was bought as a Christmas present. Luckily, her three children, Alisha, 13, Tyler, 11, and Dylan were not home at the time.
Rosie, 32, told the Record: "It was absolutely horrifying. At first, there was a sort of white gas smell coming from the battery and then it just exploded.
"It kept going off with bang after bang. It was like a firework had gone off.
"I ran out the room to get a tea towel so I could try to lift it and remove it but by that time there were pockets of fire everywhere.
"Flames were shooting out the battery and landing all over the place. My couch ended up on fire and my floor was alight.
"It happened within seconds.
"I raced out the room because bits of burned plastic were sticking to my trousers.
"I was terrified for my life.
"Then my youngest, Dylan, walked in and started screaming when he saw the flames. All the neighbours heard him and came rushing to help us." Rosie bought the Zipper Kids Balance Bike 200W from online shop NitroTek for Dylan's Christmas, setting her back £259.
The mum said the original batteries didn't work and that the exploding battery was a replacement sent by the same firm.
The traumatised mum has said she found the website via Google.
However, when the Record searched "ebikes for children", the website did not appear on the top results.
Items on NitroTek are advertised at cut prices, with the balance bike purchased by Rosie showing at £279.99, down from £349.
Rosie has vowed to never buy an e-bike or e-scooter again and has warned other parents to avoid them.
She said: "I found the website on Google - I just searched electric bikes UK and it came up.
"I've warned everyone who has asked me not to buy the bikes and scooters now. These batteries clearly aren't safe."
Rosie said she dreads to think what would have happened if the battery had exploded during the night. She added: "I'm so glad my children were all out and I can't imagine what could have happened if this had happened overnight.
"We could have all been killed."
Pa...
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Daily Record (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 19, 2025