- Confiscations of illegal e-bikes by UK police forces have increased by 83 per cent in a single year, with 7,049 machines seized.
- The surge has prompted calls from police officers, politicians, and safety charities for updated legislation to ban illegal models and conversion kits.
- The Metropolitan Police recorded the highest number of seizures at 2,367, with 11 police forces seeing their confiscation numbers more than double.
- Many confiscated e-bikes are modified to reach speeds over 70mph and are increasingly used to facilitate street crimes including phone thefts and drug dealing.
- New powers introduced under the Crime and Policing Act 2026 allow officers to immediately seize e-bikes being used anti-socially without issuing a prior warning.
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