{"id":327402,"date":"2025-08-08T08:26:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T08:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/327402\/"},"modified":"2025-08-08T08:26:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T08:26:13","slug":"accident-waiting-to-happen-police-seize-dozens-of-illegal-e-bikes-in-birmingham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/327402\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Accident waiting to happen&#8217;: Police seize dozens of illegal e-bikes in Birmingham&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"publish_date\">8 August 2025, 08:37<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Police made multiple arrests and seized dozens of e-bikes in a huge crackdown in Birmingham.\" class=\"content-image\" data-image-catalogue-id=\"745908\" width=\"660\" height=\"370\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/745908\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>    Police made multiple arrests and seized dozens of e-bikes in a huge crackdown in Birmingham.<\/p>\n<p>        Picture:<br \/>\nLBC<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-details__avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/730088\" alt=\"George Icke\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"author-details__author\">\n<p>            By George Icke<\/p>\n<p class=\"standfirst\">Seventeen illegally modified e-bikes have been seized and multiple arrests made during a dramatic police operation in Birmingham city centre aimed at tackling the growing danger posed by high-speed electric bikes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\">Officers descended on the city\u2019s busiest streets targeting riders of e-bikes that had been illegally tampered with to reach speeds of up to 60mph, well above the legal limit for electric-assisted pedal cycles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\">LBC joined West Midlands Police during the raid on Corporation Street, where officers were seen pulling over e-bike users in front of startled pedestrians and shoppers &#8211; some of whom were narrowly missed by the rapid vehicles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\">A police officer shouts: &#8220;Stop, stop, stop. Okay, stand still. Get off your bike for me now,&#8221; as two riders were detained in the heart of the city.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\">City centre inspector Scott Taylor explained the severity of the issue to LBC: \u201cWhat we\u2019ve found with the first bike we stopped is that it\u2019s been converted to go more than 30mph. That turns it into a motor vehicle, which means it\u2019s uninsured and illegal to ride without a licence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\"><strong>Read more: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lbc.co.uk\/news\/uk\/lime-e-bike-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Lime axed in west London borough after mounting complaints about e-bike safety<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\"><strong>Read more: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lbc.co.uk\/crime\/footballer-jailed-pensioner-ebike\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Former youth footballer jailed after leaving pensioner in pool of blood with severe injuries in e-bike crash<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Police made 11 prosecutions under the Road Traffic Act.\" class=\"content-image\" data-image-catalogue-id=\"745909\" width=\"660\" height=\"370\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/745909\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>    Police made 11 prosecutions under the Road Traffic Act.<\/p>\n<p>        Picture:<br \/>\nLBC<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\">The operation led to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>17 bikes seized for being dangerously modified<\/li>\n<li>6 arrests related to immigration offences<\/li>\n<li>2 arrests for other criminal offences<\/li>\n<li>11 prosecutions under the Road Traffic Act<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"17 bikes were seized for being dangerously modified.\" class=\"content-image\" data-image-catalogue-id=\"745910\" width=\"660\" height=\"370\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/745910\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>    17 bikes were seized for being dangerously modified.<\/p>\n<p>        Picture:<br \/>\nLBC<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\">The crackdown also involved officers from immigration enforcement, British Transport Police, and the city\u2019s Road Harm Prevention Team, working in coordination with local security and business groups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\">Earlier this week, one of LBC\u2019s Midlands journalists, Ella Harget-Dash, was struck by one of these e-bikes while walking along Birmingham\u2019s canal paths. She said: \u201cA man on an E-bike came up behind me and literally hit my arm, twisted me round, crashed into the side, and then I was on the floor. He just stood there looking at his bike. I was crying, and I\u2019d hurt my arm. I had almost fallen into the water.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\">West Midlands Police say these kinds of incidents are becoming more common. Inspector Taylor said: \u201cThe riders are often unlicensed, travelling at 30, 40, sometimes 50 or 60 miles per hour in pedestrian areas. Every day, it\u2019s just waiting for an accident to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\">The operation also targeted food delivery riders suspected of riding illegally modified e-bikes while also violating immigration laws. Matthew Foster, who leads immigration enforcement in the West Midlands, told LBC: \u201cWhere we see unlawful use of e-bikes: overpowered, unregistered, or used dangerously, we often find a significant number of riders are also subject to immigration control or are illegally present in the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The operation also targeted food delivery riders suspected of riding illegally modified e-bikes.\" class=\"content-image\" data-image-catalogue-id=\"745911\" width=\"660\" height=\"370\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/745911\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>    The operation also targeted food delivery riders suspected of riding illegally modified e-bikes.<\/p>\n<p>        Picture:<br \/>\nLBC<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\">LBC witnessed one such moment where an officer told a rider: \u201cCurrently, you\u2019re not free to leave. You\u2019re under arrest for immigration purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\">The 17 e-bikes taken in the operation are now set to be crushed, which Inspector Taylor says is a good decision: \u201cDangerous e-bike use has become a major problem. Pedestrians and businesses tell us it\u2019s only a matter of time before someone is killed or seriously injured. We\u2019ve taken firm action, and we\u2019ll be back doing it again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\">The police say this is one of several operations planned over the coming weeks, with enforcement already expanding into areas such as Coventry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-text\">West Midlands Police is telling anyone riding an e-bike to check their bike meets the legal definition of an EAPC (Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle). Riders found in breach could face fines, seizure of their bikes, or prosecution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"8 August 2025, 08:37 Police made multiple arrests and seized dozens of e-bikes in a huge crackdown in&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":327403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,748,393,4884,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-327402","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-birmingham","8":"tag-birmingham","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114992197486857064","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=327402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/327403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=327402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=327402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=327402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}