Scooters and illegal e-bikes seized in day of action

A crackdown on illegal vehicles in Leicester city centre is making "a real difference", according to mayor Sir Peter Soulsby.

A day of enforcement was carried out on Wednesday by Leicestershire Police and resulted in nine e-scooters and 12 illegal e-bikes being seized.

The action is part of the force's ongoing Operation Pedalfast which has seized a total of 64 illegal vehicles which should not be driven on public land since January.

Soulsby said Leicester City Council "welcomes" the action and is working to support the enforcement.

He said the council has produced leaflets on what makes an e-bike illegal and why e-scooters are banned, which have been distributed to businesses.

The council is also advertising these rules on digital screens across the city centre.

Neighbourhood policing commander for Leicester city centre Insp Ryan Ludlam said the need for the operation showed "the extent of the problem" and that the force was seizing unlawful vehicles "without warning".

Soulsby said: "I very much welcome this initiative and am grateful to Leicestershire Police for the work they are doing to tackle the use of illegal e-bikes and scooters in the city centre.

"Three operations to seize illegal vehicles have taken place in the last month or so, and they have already made a real difference to the city centre."

A four week consultation into wider issues of anti-social behaviour in the city centre finished on Monday 17 February.

This came after Soulsby had sworn to use "all the tools at his disposal" to deal with an increase in issues including street drinking, begging and "irresponsible" vehicles.

One proposal to tackle the issues is a new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which would grant greater powers to the police and council, including fines of £100 against those causing a nuisance, or up to £1,000 if prosecuted.

A three-year PSPO could be introduced on 1 April if backed.

A total of 1,139 people took part in the consultation.

Further PSPOs could be looked at in other parts of the city at a later date, Soulsby added.

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