E-bikes in British cities are being illegally modified to reach speeds of more than 70mph – as locals complain their streets are becoming ‘even more unsafe’.
The majority of hundreds of delivery cycles in Birmingham are operating outside the law and ignoring the 15.5mph speed limit, police say.
There are also reports of riders ‘scattering’ when apprehended on streets and drivers being arrested – but then released on bail.
Speaking to ITV, a West Midlands officer explained she had ‘got hurt’ last year after one delivery driver sped off as police attempted to stop him.
She said: ‘What they’re doing is incorrect and they shouldn’t have the speeds they’re going up to.
‘It is a little tricky for us to try and detain them but we do get them and we get the bikes off the road.
‘I got hurt last year trying to stop them.’
One of the bikes seized by police during the operation was able to do more than 70mph.
Two of the riders stopped in the report were also found to be in the country illegally – though they were arrested and released straight away on bail and given penalty notices.
Locals have also voiced fears pavements are ‘no longer a safe space’ and speeding riders are especially of concern for partially sighted people.
Louise Connop of the Thomas Poplington Trust said: ‘They’re a massive nuisance. We use the pavements as a safe space and it’s becoming even more unsafe and unreliable.’
Steve Keith, who is partially sighted, added: ‘So they’re now doing illegal speeds on the footpath and you don’t know they’re there until it’s gone whizzing past you.
‘By that time it’s scared the living daylights out of myself and my guide dog.’
Cycling journalist and reporter Laura Laker told ITV there were other concerns besides injuries on the road including the bikes ‘catching fire’.
She said: ‘These are machines that have been modified and they’re illegal for use on UK roads and police treat them like motorbikes.
‘They’re also catching fire in people’s homes. It’s absolutely devastating.’
Ms Laker claimed the issue was ‘all being driven by delivery firms’ with companies using a ‘legal loophole’ to not class riders as workers.
She added people being paid on a ‘per drop basis’ are pushed to make ‘as many deliveries as they can in as short a time as possible’.
Ms Laker insisted riders were being ‘exploited’ and ‘put under a lot of pressure’.
It comes as menacing e-bikes worth up to £5,000 have recently been unearthed as being used ‘almost exclusively’ for a wave of crime on Britain’s streets.
Donna Jones, who is responsible for policing in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, warned in March the electric bicycles which resemble motorbikes are frequently being used by criminals due to their ‘agility’.
The police and crime commissioner claimed the majority of people using these type of e-bikes are ‘doing something wrong’ as she voiced her concerns over the spate of crime gripping Britain.
Charity Crimestoppers says it has been inundated with reports of members of the public being terrorised by riders.
Examples include a farmer in Dumfries who found his fields had been ripped up overnight, costing him thousands of pounds in repairs and increased security and an elderly lady in Edinburgh who almost stepped into the path of a bus to avoid a bike on the pavement crashing into her.
In February, Whinhill Golf Club in Greenock, Renfrewshire, was badly damaged by people riding off road bikes on the fairways.
Angela Parker National Manager of Crimestoppers, said: ‘We heard from many people who felt scared and threatened by the increased use of illegal off-road bikes.
‘This illegal activity also damages the environment and heritage, taking years to recovers and costing thousands to repair.’
Last December, it emerged that almost 300 dangerous e-scooters and e-bikes were seized by police in the first nine months of 2024 amid a spike in illegal modifications.
Officers removed 281 vehicles from the roads after finding they exceeded speed and power limits. In comparison, just 91 were seized in the previous two years.
Under Scots law, e-scooters are only legal on private land.
They should have a maximum speed of 15.5mph and a maximum power of 250 watts. E-bikes, which can be used on cycle paths and public roads, should always come with pedals and the motor should not be able to power it above 15.5mph.
