Forces across the UK confiscated 937 e-bikes in the year to August 11.
Police seizures of illegally modified electric bikes (e-bikes) soared in the past year amid concerns their speed and weight present a lethal threat to pedestrians, an investigation has found.
Forces across the UK confiscated 937 e-bikes in the year to August 11, according to Freedom of Information (FoI) figures obtained by the PA news agency.
That is compared with 511 during the previous 12 months.
Under UK law, e-bike motors must cut out when a speed of 15.5mph is reached.
But police are increasingly finding many have been modified to reach much faster speeds.
It is also common for officers to find e-bikes that can be powered without the pedals being turned, effectively making them electric mopeds or motorbikes which must be registered and taxed.
Conversion kits are available online for as little as £300.
City of London Police recently seized an e-bike capable of reaching 70mph, which featured an electronic display indicating it had covered more than 6,000 miles.
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28 Comments
For another ignorant which didn't read the legislation, there is no weight limit. I don't even want to watch it, that engwe bike is legal. What does that even mean if something is modified? It's not a motorbike.
But if you pay tax……..its leagal. Where did the risk go?
So many bike and phone thefts police decided to get in on the action
Seriously, how come such imbeciles work in the police? He shows that 250W engwe and he is telling it's 50kg? Did he scale it or just guess? It's completely legal, he didn't even read the legislation, he, just talked like a typical idiot who never had any piece of legal paper in his hand. And still, people listen to him and believe that's an illegal bike.
Go to any town centre and virtually all uber "riders" have modified ebike that I'm sure go fatser then 15mph and they race about town with no regard for people.
Please ban on these e scooters
Meanwhile… 1.4 million people are estimated to be driving without a valid licence, 1.4 million untaxed motor vehicles vehicles on the roads, 1.5 million motor vehicles without valid MOT and 1 million uninsured vehicles. And I suspect the people flouting these prerequisites are the very same driving two-tonnes of vehicle routinely over the speed limits, jumping red lights, driving on pavements etc leading to 34,000 serious accidents and 500 fatalities of pedestrians and cyclists.
The police is not seizing the non pedalling electric bikes that phone snatchers are using because they can't catch them so they go after the easy prey, the food delivery guys and others who use their pedal electric bikes to commute for work. I was expecting it to happen with a Labour government as leftist government aways want to control its citizens. I experienced life under a socialist government from the 80's until the late 90's.
If they have time for this nonsense they must have already tackled knife crime, drugs gangs, fraudsters and people trafficking. Right? 🤔
Police are big girls now 😂
This shtty island is shyte
Just Eat, sorry, I meant to say "arrest" them. There was a head on with a car and someone on the wrong side of the road on an "E-bike" in Sheffield a week ago. Head injury sustained, and a really upsetting incident for the couple in the car. I've been nearly knocked over several times by delivery riders who cut through a local lane/footpath. A lot of businesses profit through road traffic laws being broken at the point of delivery. Why not fine the businesses as well, every time someone is caught using illegal transport to deliver?
Obviously not enough hurty words being written on X
My friend tried an e-scooter for the first time. Thirty seconds later he was quadriplegic for the rest of his life. He had no idea of the acceleration of battery powered vehicles.
Try Whitechapel Road.
Loads of them about……
lol UK…Not a good look
What a load of balderdash there taking food delivery bikes that can only go max 20 mph shame on them they should be promoting cycling ebikes
How many have they caught on surrons
About time they are a scourge. Raid the food distribution centres for these on bike deliveries they will all be illegal immigrants
Well I never would have known what 'phone snatching was if Slap'ead hadn't explained.
Oh no,what are all the illegals going to do now?
More car washes to pop up I guess.
Yet more typical pathetic British media/police sensationalism.
If an e-bike can travel at the same speed as a motorbike or a fast cyclist then how is it a "death trap"?! Its not doing anything different then a regular 2 wheeled mode of transport. The problem is there's no money for the government to make off of them.
Stop printing stupid headlines and undermining peoples freedoms.
If they don’t want us to have the bikes stop selling them it’s all bent! All of it and something needs to be done who’s making the money off this con.
There's LOADS in sunderland, whizzing about masks on,ski mask,no helmet.Police IGNORE THEM.
The Police are Clowns, The EV cars are also death traps that actually also go faster than a normal Car, Are they going to Ban them too.? Nope 👎 Also a normal Bike with just pedal power can also reach speeds of 45 to 55 MPH . The fasted speed recorded was 87 mph on a down hill run, where 47 Cyclists reached an average speed of 45 mph. These FACTS of course will upset some Cu*t Stubbles ….. Sorry constables 👮♂️…
Wrong . Only petrol engines are in need of taxation not electric bikes. . As taxation is for engine powered vehicles and not battery powered vehicles. Other than modern cars . ??????
Another clip without talking. Cheap skates
They don't want cars on the roads so why seize electric bikes, pathetic, move with the times, everyone should have one, they are amazing. You get the odd idiot mostly in major town Verne l centre's but you do in cars also so just let it be and make them all legal. So sick of rules they are beyond pathetic these days