By Tom Cameron
Leicestershire Police have revealed they will seize e-scooters and illegal e-bikes in Leicester city centre with no warning.
This clampdown on illegal vehicles was revealed by Leicestershire Police last Tuesday(JAN21) after issues surrounding them persisted. They plan to tackle this issue through the police operation named Op Pedalfast.
A survey in December 2024 revealed that 83 per cent of those surveyed said e-scooters are still an issue and 76 per cent said e-bikes are also an issue.
These results have accelerated the next stage of the operation, which means the initial warning given will be replaced with the direct seizure of the vehicle.
Neighbourhood Policing Commander for Leicester City Centre, Inspector Ryan Ludlam, said: “The extent of the problem is demonstrated by the need to run a specific operation with officers assigned to focus wholly on this issue.”
City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby backed the operation, saying: “I very much welcome this new approach to tackling the nuisance of illegal e-bikes and electric scooters in our city centre.
“We know that other cities are experiencing similar problems, but it’s unacceptable that the behaviour of a few individuals should spoil the city centre for the rest of us.”
By Thursday, the operation has resulted in eight e-scooters and five e-mopeds being seized.
