Police forces across the South are seeing a sharp rise in illegal e-bike use, with officers in Hampshire reporting that children as young as 11 have been stopped while riding unsafe and often modified vehicles. In Andover, concerns are growing about the impact of these vehicles on community safety, particularly when they are used in anti-social behaviour or criminal activity.
Data from police forces in Sussex, Surrey, and Hampshire show that e-bike seizures have risen from just six in 2021 to 66 in 2024. Police in Andover are stepping up efforts to address this trend, seizing non-compliant e-bikes and increasing patrols around known hotspots to tackle growing reports of unsafe riding and public disturbance.
The law currently permits people aged 14 and over to ride e-bikes without a licence, tax, or insurance, provided they meet certain conditions: the motor must be no more than 250 watts, the bike must have pedals, and the power must cut out above 15.5mph. However, police say many of the seized bikes have been illegally modified, removing pedals and boosting power to levels seen in mopeds or motorbikes, making them both unlawful and unsafe.
Officers in Hampshire are using new tools to track repeat offenders, including a forensic spray known as SmartTag. This spray allows police to mark a rider or their bike with a unique identifier, linking them to previous incidents of anti-social behaviour. Once seized, the illegal e-bikes are taken to Eastleigh, where they are crushed alongside confiscated e-scooters.
Police say some of the illegal bikes are linked to acquisitive crimes and drug-related activity. Their increased presence in town centres like Andover has led to growing frustration from residents and shopkeepers, many of whom have voiced concern about groups of young riders using pavements, squares, and pedestrian areas at high speed.
The Department for Transport says current regulations are strict and give police the power to act when e-bikes break the rules. But with rising use, increasingly young riders, and links to crime and anti-social behaviour, police forces across the South, including in Andover, are stepping up efforts to remove dangerous e-bikes from the streets.