An Islington man faces consequences after importing unsafe scooters and e-bikes, violating UK safety standards.
Islington: So, there’s this guy named Sardar Rassa who got into some serious trouble for bringing in almost 1,000 unsafe scooters and e-bikes. Turns out, they didn’t meet the UK’s safety standards at all.
He was recently given a six-month sentence, but it’s suspended for a year. This all came after Islington Council found some pretty alarming safety issues with his products.
His shipment included 600 kids’ scooters, 140 for adults, 180 e-scooters, and 54 e-bikes. A sample failed the safety tests, which raised a lot of red flags.
These e-scooters and e-bikes have been causing quite a stir in London lately, mainly because of the lithium batteries they use. If those batteries are poorly designed or charged wrong, they can catch fire or even explode!
The council’s trading standards team seized hundreds of these scooters. They first caught wind of Rassa’s shipment back in November 2021 at a port in Suffolk, where initial tests showed safety issues.
Even after being told to send the goods back to China, Rassa insisted everything was fine and legal. But once the products got to Islington, the trading standards team stepped in and put a hold on them until they could be tested for safety.
Unfortunately, Rassa didn’t bother to do any safety testing, which is a big no-no. The council’s tests revealed serious problems, from bad labeling to critical failures in the components. They ended up seizing 243 e-scooters and scooters still in storage.
Rassa pleaded guilty to 12 charges related to these safety failings and was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court. The council’s community safety head made it clear that they won’t tolerate unsafe products in Islington.
Thanks to the hard work of the trading standards team, this importer is now facing the consequences of his actions.
