18 August 2025
Tougher powers to make online marketplaces safer and protect the public from dangerous products as part of the Government's Plan for Change, have moved a step closer following Royal Assent of the Product Regulation and Metrology Act.
The new legislation will provide powers to target new and emerging dangers and hold online marketplaces to account for dangerous products sold through their platforms, creating a level playing field with bricks and mortar stores.
The rising popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters has brought with it an increase in safety incidents - the Office for Product Safety and Standards in 2024 received reports on 211 fires involving e-bikes or e-scooters - equivalent to a fire every 1.7 days.
Most of these reports (175) were from London Fire Brigade, and many were caused by unsafe lithium-ion batteries purchased through online marketplaces.
To help address the sale of unsafe products like these by online marketplaces, the Government intends to introduce requirements for online marketplaces at the earliest opportunity to update their responsibilities.
These will create a proportionate regulatory framework where online marketplaces are expected to:
- prevent unsafe products from being made available to consumers
- ensure that sellers operating on their platform comply with product safety obligations
- provide relevant information to consumers
- and cooperate closely with regulators
The new measures will ensure clarity for the approximately 300,000 UK businesses operating in regulated product markets with a combined estimated turnover of £490 billion.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards will continue its targeted programme to tackle dangerous products, including the threats from button batteries and small magnets, and building on successful initiatives like the 'Buy Safe, Be Safe' campaign launched last October and recent guidelines on lithium-ion battery safety introduced in December.
This balanced approach protects consumers while supporting economic growth across all nations of the UK.
(Source: Department for Business and Trade, 21 July 2025)
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For information on the current law on these subjects, please see our 'Product safety' and 'Weights and measures' Quick Guides and the associated In-depth Guides. Guidance will be updated in due course, as the law changes.