Hundreds of illegal e-bikes and e-scooters crushed in Southampton police crackdown
Police in Sussex and Surrey have crushed hundreds of unregistered motorbikes and illegal e-vehicles under Operation Scramble. Sussex PCC Katy Bourne warned buyers to follow the law ahead of Christmas.
Illegal e-vehicles crushed in Southampton as police step up seizures
Hundreds of unregistered motorbikes, illegal e-scooters and e-bikes have been crushed and sent for recycling as part of a coordinated police crackdown, bbc.co.uk reports.
Operation Scramble, involving police forces in Sussex and Surrey, saw a large number of the vehicles seized amid growing concerns over public safety. Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Katy Bourne visited Silverlake Garage near Southampton, Hampshire, to witness the destruction firsthand.
"A big message to everybody in the run-up to Christmas — if you're buying these make sure you adhere to the law," Bourne said.
The operation targets the use of illegal e-bikes and e-scooters on roads, pavements and in community areas. It is against the law to ride a privately owned e-scooter in public, including on roads, pavements and in parks.
Thames Valley Police (TVP) said its roads policing unit and Oxford Cowley neighbourhood team had confiscated 35 illicit vehicles in Oxford over the past week. Dorset Police reported seizing 99 e-bikes and 128 e-scooters across the county in 2025, following a rise in reported incidents involving illegal e-vehicle misuse.
Bourne said her post bag was "full of complaints" from members of the public, particularly elderly residents.
"You can't hear these coming, they're electric, they come up very fast," she said. "Some of them have been modified, so they go quicker than they're meant to and they're clearly being ridden illegally, unlawfully."
She confirmed that Sussex Police "are no longer going to educate everybody — they're actually going to seize these."
"If you're going to buy these, they're not recreational toys — if you ride them on the road, make sure you adhere to the regulations," Bourne added. "If you're riding them unlawfully, you're not getting them back."
Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)