Project leader with consumer rights organisation Forbrugerrådet Tænk, Stine Müller, has advised against using the bikes. The cargo bikes have three wheels and a large box on the front, in which children or an adult can sit.

The advice from Müller comes after Babboe on Thursday suspended sales of its own products in Denmark with immediate effect, after concerns were raised over safety.

The Danish Safety Technology Authority (Sikkerhedsstyrelsen) has, based on information published on Babboe’s website, also advised the public in Denmark to follow the company’s recommendation not to use its products for the time being.

“Consumers should comply with this announcement and leave the cargo bikes parked until we know more about what the problem is with them,” Müller said.

“It can obviously be frustrating as a bicycle owner to be told this, but we urge people to comply with it,” she said.

Babboe, whose distinctive wooden box designs are distinctive on Danish bike lanes, has been informed that Dutch food and product safety authority NVWA has been in contact with the company’s Netherlands supplier, regarding insufficient documentation of safety permits.

NVWA said in a press statement that it had ordered Babboe to stop sales of its cargo bikes and recall the bicycles, which have a “serious safety risk”.

The Danish Safety Technology Authority (Sikkerhedsstyrelsen) has been made aware of the situation by Babboe’s distributor in Denmark, according to news wire Ritzau.

Babboe in Denmark meanwhile said it had not received any reports or indications of safety issues with the bikes in the Nordic country.

“If you have experienced problems with the bike, it’s completely fine to report this to the Safety Technology Authority, which is the authority that will look at this kind of thing in Denmark. They can then take all the information into account,” Müller said.

News wire Ritzau reports that NVWA launched an investigation in late 2023 after the company received several reports of broken frames on Babboe products.

In 2019, the company recalled the “City” model of cargo bike due to a potential frame defect, and replaced around 20 frames after detecting 61 defects, according to Ritzau.

Faulty frames are potentially a serious safety concern because passengers can fall out of the boxes if they fail while in motion, the Dutch authority has pointed out following its assessment.

The cargo bikes may be sold again in the Netherlands when their safety has been sufficiently documented, the authority also said.