AN insurance giant is warning us about a jump in customer claims concerning batteries – after an incident on the Isle of Wight saw a pair of headphones ‘explode’.

Aviva says claims have included a significant house fire started by an e-cigarette being charged with an incompatible charger, extensive fire damage to a house after an e-bike with a second-hand battery was left charging unattended in a bedroom, and a phone which exploded during charging after getting wet.

It said a fire also started in a garage after a faulty charger was used to power up a remote-control car.

The insurer said one man, from the Isle of Wight, was at home when his headphones exploded.

He told Aviva: “I was charging my headphones next to me on the sofa and without realising, accidentally plugged them in using an incorrect charger.

“The light didn’t illuminate properly, but I still thought they were charging.

“After about five minutes, the headphones started smoking and within seconds both the headphones and the battery case exploded.

“The metal and plastic from the headphones then melted to the sofa and set it ablaze.

“Luckily, I was able to put the flames out, but I had a shock and have been left with a burn hole in my sofa.

“I dread to think what would have happened if I had been asleep or was not in the property, as there is no doubt the sofa and house would have gone up in flames.”

Aviva analysed internal data for fires claims, with words such as “battery” and “rechargeable” between the start of 2022 and the end of 2023.

It found a seven per cent increase in claims, when comparing 2022 with 2023.

Hannah Davidson, a senior underwriting manager at Aviva, said: “For the majority of people, devices powered by lithium-ion batteries such as mobile phones, laptops, power tools, and e-bikes are safe to use.

“However, these batteries can present a significant fire risk if the battery fails, is faulty, or is charged incorrectly.

“Likewise, with consumers buying lithium-ion batteries and lithium-powered devices from second-hand retailers or sellers, there is increased potential for batteries to be damaged or faulty on purchase, for the battery in the device to be different to the original, or for the charger supplied with the device to be the incorrect charger.”