Brompton has issued a recall notice on e-bikes manufactured between May 2020 and February 2021, or which had firmware updates during that period. The firm says that under certain conditions, it is possible a bike’s motor will continue even when the rider stops pedalling – although they emphasise that there has so far been only one reported instance of this happening.

In a statement, Brompton said it had become aware of an issue with the firmware installed on some of its e-bikes.

“Under specific circumstances, if a system failure occurs, there is a low possibility that the electric system may continue to provide assistance to the motor, causing continued forward momentum, when the rider is not actively pedalling.

“The risk of an accident occurring is very low with only one reported minor fault, which did not result in any injury or accident.

“Please note that applying the brakes will bring the bike to a stop. The battery should then be switched off or removed to prevent the motor providing continued assistance.”

Brompton is making efforts to repair all affected bikes by upgrading the firmware to version 1-2-10-2 free of charge. This is available for all customers until September 1, 2021.

Owners can check if their bike is affected at the recall page on the Brompton website. The page also states that affected customers will be given a credit of £20 for each bike affected.