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Helen Maguire (Epsom and Ewell) (LD)
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the regulation of e-scooters and e-bikes.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I am pleased to have secured this debate and really grateful for the opportunity to raise this issue, which we urgently need to see progress on.
This is a timely debate because I hosted a roundtable on this very topic last week. Twenty-five individuals attended. There were senior-ranking representatives from nine police forces across the country, five police and crime commissioners, one borough commander and one assistant chief constable. The officers who were present were from the Met, Derbyshire, Merseyside, Surrey, Lancashire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Hertfordshire, and Devon and Cornwall. There were industry representatives, campaigners, policy experts, academics, doctors and MPs. I am thankful to all those who attended and shared their insights and expertise with me and the other MPs who were there. The fact that so many individuals representing diverse groups and interests travelled across the UK to London to speak about this issue highlights the urgency and the need for action.
How did this issue become so important to me? It all started when I was canvassing to become an MP, and I met so many constituents who raised the issue of e-scooters and e-bikes in my constituency of Epsom and Ewell. It became a top issue. One of my constituents, Ed Dark, told me that his little boy is now too scared to go to the beautiful park that is next to his house.
Warinder Juss (Wolverhampton West) (Lab)
Many people in my constituency feel frightened and intimidated when just walking on the pavement runs the risk of them colliding with an e-scooter or e-bike. I have raised the matter with the police, but they say they are unable to take action unless the riders are caught riding the vehicle. Does the hon. Member agree that we need greater enforcement powers, clearer national guidance and stronger controls on the sale of illegal e-scooters and e-bikes, so that we can better protect our residents and restore confidence in our neighbourhoods?
Helen Maguire
I agree with everything the hon. Member says, and I will talk about those points in my speech.
Edward Dark’s son was walking home from school one day when he was nearly hit by an e-scooter. That could have been fatal. Thankfully, it was not. Another constituent told me they have even considered moving house—just consider that: moving house—because of the e-scooter misuse in their neighbourhood.
Sarah Edwards (Tamworth) (Lab)
The hon. Member has rightfully secured a debate on this extremely important topic. In the summer in Tamworth, there was an extremely serious collision between a six-year-old girl and an e-motorbike. She was in a critical condition as a result, but fortunately she did not die. Will the hon. Member be pressing the Government to give more resources to policing and to clarify the legislation for e-bikes and e-motorbikes?
Helen Maguire
I am really sorry to hear about the hon. Member’s constituent; I hope she is okay now. I will indeed be raising those issues.
One constituent told me that her car was hit by an illegally ridden e-bike on the wrong side of the road. She got the individual’s details and reported it to the police, but she was told that they would keep a lookout rather than seize the bike from the known address.
This issue goes far beyond Epsom and Ewell, as Members have already demonstrated. Across the country, we are seeing young people on e-scooters riding at high speed through red lights, parks and pedestrianised areas.
Anna Dixon (Shipley) (Lab)
I thank the hon. Lady for the excellent seminar she held last week, which I attended. Illegal e-motorbikes are a blight on my constituency. I have spoken to the police and to the lead police officers who she convened last week, and they say that this is the preferred vehicle of choice for organised criminals. Will she press the Minister to work with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade to ensure that non-compliant conversion kits are banned from sale as soon as possible?
Helen Maguire
I absolutely agree: this is one of the matters that the Minister needs to take forward.
We have the issues of illegally modified e-scooters, which can now reach speeds of up to 70 mph; e-bikes, which are catching fire due to uncertified lithium-ion batteries; and the use of e-vehicles in criminal activity and antisocial behaviour, as the hon. Member for Shipley (Anna Dixon) alluded to. Pedestrians have the fundamental right to feel safe. They should not need to worry about being hit or knocked over when simply walking in the park or on the streets. That is particularly important for vulnerable groups, especially those with vision loss or mobility needs.
Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley) (Lab)
I thank the hon. Member for making such a strong argument. Along with other hon. Members, I recently met representatives of Guide Dogs for the Blind. They made a strong case for visually impaired and blind people, who are often put off going out on to their own streets, due to the silent nature of e-scooters and e-bikes. Does she agree that that point alone underscores the need to enforce the law properly in this area?
Helen Maguire
I absolutely agree. This is a critical issue for the high number of visually impaired people living in Swail House in Epsom in my constituency.
There are flaws in the current collision data. In 2023, there were at least 1,299 collisions involving e-scooters, but those statistics do not show the full picture. How can they, when the data is not consistently collected or identified? Data on death and injuries in reported road collisions is reported to the Department for Transport by police forces in Great Britain via STATS19. A new powered personal transporter category was introduced to cover e-scooters, but not all forces currently use the new specification. I urge the Minister to enforce the use of the new STATS19 specification for all police forces, so that we can understand exactly what is going on.
Andrew George (St Ives) (LD)
My hon. Friend is making an excellent point. Surely, the answer is relatively simple: if a scooter or bike operates purely through an electronic motor and not human propulsion, it should be taxed, insured and subject to an MOT like any other motorbike.
Helen Maguire
I thank my hon. Friend. I am sure he can put that point to the Minister.
E-bikes are not currently distinguished from pedal cycle or electric motorcycle categories depending on their power rating. The Government have stated that there are no plans to change STATS19 data to introduce specific categories for e-bikes. I urge the Minister to reassess introducing a specific category for e-bikes within STATS19.
James Naish (Rushcliffe) (Lab)
I went to the Queen’s Medical Centre, the main hospital in Nottingham, to meet the paediatric teams. They told me that there had been 10 serious acquired brain injuries since April this year. They are looking at two a month, with the curve on an upward trajectory. The data on the ground is clear that this is a problem, so Ministers need to get beyond the lag in the data and start taking the action called for by people such as the medics I met. Does the hon. Member agree that the human cost and the long-term impact on those young people needs to be prioritised?
Helen Maguire
I absolutely agree and will talk more about the human cost. The changes would provide an accurate oversight of the scale and distribution of the issue. That would lead to more effective enforcement and legislation. How can we begin to address the issue if we do not understand the full picture? Behind the limited statistics is an unacceptable price of injury and death, particularly for children.
At my roundtable, I spoke to Dr Durand, a consultant in paediatric emergency medicine. Her research in the Emergency Medicine Journal analysed e-scooter injury data over six years, from three major children’s trauma centres, in Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield. She found that 447 children attended hospital following an e-scooter-related injury; one in 10 had serious head injuries requiring hospital admission and surgery; and 95% of injuries involved the rider. She also found that the average age of an injured child was 12, with half aged between 10 and 13; that annual cases rose from fewer than 10 in 2019 to almost 150 by 2024; that as many as 74% of the injured children live in areas with the greatest socioeconomic deprivation; and that under 2% of riders were wearing a helmet.
I want to tell you about Jacob’s journey, because behind each of the statistics is a child with possible life-ending injuries, and permanently changed families. One of those is the Calland family. I was fortunate to meet Carly Calland for the second time at my roundtable. The Calland family tragically lost their son, Jacob, in an e-scooter incident.
On 19 March 2025, Jacob left home and met up with a friend. He decided to ride as passenger on the back of that boy’s e-scooter, without any protective gear. That decision cost him his life. At 3.59 pm, the e-scooter collided with a car. Jacob was thrown to the other side of the road and landed in front of oncoming traffic. He suffered a catastrophic head injury, and was brought into the intensive care unit and put in a coma. He underwent multiple surgeries to try to control the bleeding and swelling on the brain, but his condition began to deteriorate, and there was nothing more that could be done to save his life. Jacob Calland passed away at 5.18 am on Thursday 27 March 2025. He was just 14 years and nine months old.
How many more children need to die for the Government to take this issue seriously? There was no mention of e-scooter and e-bike legislation in the King’s Speech, and the DFT said that the earliest that legislation could be considered is May 2027. That is unacceptable. The lack of time in the parliamentary calendar is not an excuse for failing to act to save our children’s lives.
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)
Does the hon. Lady agree that, in advance of the change that we all want, we need to see a consistent approach across the country? I have had parents say to me that senior police officers in one part of the country have one attitude to this ongoing and worsening problem, and other compatriots have another.
Helen Maguire
Absolutely, and I will come to the police powers and the Acts available to them.
I have three children myself, and Jacob could have been one of mine. He could have been the child of anyone in the Chamber. As MPs, we have a duty to keep our children safe. Jacob Calland lived in Wythenshawe, Manchester, close to Makerfield, so if the Prime Minister is listening, I urge him to act now.
That brings me to the unending rental e-scooter trials. The trials began in July 2020, and were intended to run until November 2021. They were launched to review whether e-scooters reduce pressure on public transport and motor traffic, and to look at their safety impacts. They were extended until March 2022 to allow for more time for evidence to be gathered due to covid. They were then extended again until November 2022 due to the DFT issuing guidance to enhance safety measures. They were then extended again to May 2025 to allow the DFT to reflect on further analysis, and they have now been extended again until May 2028 to help fill evidence gaps to inform legislation. That will be eight years of trials with no action.
Why are the trials unending? What are we trying to achieve with that period of time? Ireland had a six-month trial, Germany had a 180-day trial and France and Spain did not even have trials, and those countries were able to implement legislation and improve road safety in a fraction of the time. My question to the Minister is: why can’t we?
Catherine Atkinson (Derby North) (Lab)
Derbyshire constabulary has seized and crushed more than 1,000 illegal electric scooters, some capable of travelling at 50 mph and being ridden by children. At such a speed, the damage that can be done is catastrophic. Older constituents have told me that they are afraid to go into Derby city centre for fear of being hit, and that is not to mention the house fires that have been caused by e-scooter batteries. Does the hon. Lady agree that the sooner we legislate to tackle illegal scooters and protect the public, the better?
Helen Maguire
I absolutely agree, and I congratulate Derbyshire police on doing an outstanding job in seizing e-scooters and e-bikes.
Between the start of the trials in 2020 and December 2025, there were 7,591 reported casualties in collisions involving e-scooters. In 2025 alone, there were 1,477 reported collisions and 10 deaths. The time for data collection has long passed. Legislation is now needed to save lives on roads.
The lack of Government action is forcing police forces to deal with this issue on their own. There is no centralised guidance on operational tactics, so the police are adapting seizing powers. Derbyshire police have a “see it, seize it” system, where they are empowering police community support officers under section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to seize and remove e-scooters within 24 hours, but the situation is not consistent across the country. Every police force does it differently.
Bradley Thomas (Bromsgrove) (Con)
I thank the hon. Lady for calling this very timely debate. Does she agree that this is a particular problem where policing borders meet? My constituency is under the West Mercia jurisdiction, but in Cofton Hackett, a village that has an acute problem with e-bikes, the bikes often originate in Birmingham, which is under the jurisdiction of West Midlands police. It feels as though some areas fall between the cracks and that this e-bike problem is increasingly without consequences.
Helen Maguire
I agree. When police forces use different tactics, there is a cross-boundary border issue.
Derbyshire police implemented a huge public awareness campaign with the fire brigade, housing providers, schools and retailers. It is important that we inform the public more about this, because they are incredibly confused about e-scooters that can be bought legally, but cannot be used on our public roads or in parks; only the trial e-scooters can be used legally. As we enter the Christmas season, many parents might be thinking about an e-scooter or e-bike as a gift, so I urge the Government to put safety first and reconsider the policy. Since implementing the scheme in Derbyshire, 30 e-scooters a month—a total of 1,060—have been seized. The strategy is effective, as there has been a 40% reduction in e-scooter crime and an 11% reduction in e-bike crime.
Surrey police recently announced Operation Scramble, in which illegal e-bikes and e-scooters will be seized and destroyed. The Government must support police forces; they are calling for workable legislation, which is why there were so many representatives from police forces around the country at my roundtable the other day.
To be clear, I am not against e-scooters or e-bikes because their benefits are clear. They are affordable transport alternatives; they make difficult routes accessible; they have less impact than cars on the environment; they improve public health, local air quality and cut congestion; and they support the hard workers in the gig economy. But they must be properly regulated and legislated for, and the rules must be enforced to protect all members of the public.
There is currently no practical legislation on the use of e-scooters and e-bikes; no co-ordinated guidance for police forces; no effective regulation on import or sale; no control of the online or grey marketplace, and no public understanding of what is and is not legal. Failure to act is not just about lives; it is about lost revenue to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, further strain and costs on our hospitals and the NHS, increased pressure on police forces, and confusion among retailers, consumers and parents. Will the Minister commit today to ending the ongoing trials, outline the next steps for legislation, and commit to the safety of our children and young people in the UK, so that no parent has to spend this Christmas without their child?
Several hon. Members rose—
Graham Stringer (in the Chair)
Order. There is obviously huge interest in this debate. I remind hon. Members to bob if they wish to speak. To start with, I will impose a time limit of two and a half minutes on speeches. I ask Members to keep interventions brief. I call Dame Siobhain McDonagh.
Dame Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden) (Lab)
I congratulate the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) on securing this debate. You can see, Mr Stringer, how big the issue is for constituencies across the country.
In 2017, the London Fire Brigade attended just seven e-bike fires. Last year, the number reached a record 206. That is an e-bike fire somewhere in the capital every other day. Since 2023, six people have lost their lives in e-bike and e-scooter fires in London, five of whom were not themselves charging the vehicle responsible for the fires. They lost their lives because of a danger they had absolutely no control over, and they might not even have known existed. In my constituency alone, 14 homes have been lost to fires. Just last week at my advice surgery, I met Mr and Mrs Gifford, whose home was devastated by an e-bike fire on Lewis Road in Mitcham in October last year. They lived next door to the property where the battery was being charged. Almost a year later, they are still unable to return to their home. Imagine losing your home through no fault of your own—losing everything you own, all your memories and the place where your children grew up—and a year later, you are still unable to return. That is the lasting devastation that these fires can cause.
The reality is that some people caught up in these fires never make it out of their home. At a roundtable that I also held last week, we heard the devastating story of Sofia Duarte. Sofia was just 21 years old when she died on new year’s day in 2023 as a result of spending the night at her boyfriend’s flat in Old Kent Road, where a converted e-bike charging in the communal area caught fire. Everyone else got out; she did not, and she did not see another year. That should not be the consequence for anybody who is not doing anything wrong, but is subject to an illegal and unauthorised battery exploding.
Matt Vickers (Stockton West) (Con)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I congratulate the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) on securing this important debate.
In Stockton West, the plague of balaclava-clad yobs on illegal e-motos is a problem that comes up constantly on doorsteps and in my surgery. Three years ago in Westminster Hall, I named Thornaby as a hotspot and warned that we could not wait for someone else to lose their life. On 31 January this year, two 15-year-olds were riding Sur-Rons in Thornaby when one of them ploughed into a father of seven riding a pushbike. Months later, the father is still in hospital with life-changing injuries, needing round-the-clock care. The boys got driving bans and referral orders, and were ordered to pay just £495 in compensation.
The recent changes to seizure powers are welcome, but they go nowhere near far enough. I tabled amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill to give the police greater powers to enter properties to seize these bikes, to destroy illegal bikes rather than sell them on, and to register and control sales. The Government rejected them all. Meanwhile, anyone can buy a machine that is illegal to ride on a public road, or a kit that turns an illegal e-bike into an unregistered motorbike and have it delivered the next day. I ask the Minister: will the Government control the sale of these vehicles and the kits used to modify them? Will they now give the police the power we proposed to seize these bikes wherever they are hidden? My constituents simply want the law to be on the side of the law-abiding majority. It is time for the Government to make sure that it is.
Neil Coyle (Bermondsey and Old Southwark) (Lab)
I congratulate the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) on securing the debate. I will focus my comments on the cycle hire regulations in Southwark. We should be a success story of more lanes and more users, but—and I have a big butt, which makes me a wobbly cyclist—the number of complaints, increasingly from other cyclists, is colossal and rising. The need to regulate is only too apparent when visiting any transport interchange in Southwark. Last week, dumped bikes blocked the only pedestrian crossing from London Bridge station on to the bridge itself, not in rush hour, but on a Saturday lunch time.
I get so many complaints, including from Stephen about bike dumping at Canada Water; from Sacha about bikes in pedestrian areas and local parks; and from Sanjay about insurance after a recent collision. Then there is Whelan’s, a pub in Rotherhithe with a bike bay outside that overflows regularly with dumped bikes, blocking the way of customers and blocking a bus stop, but most worryingly, blocking the delivery of beer to the pub. A pub without beer cannot stay open very long. It is on a red route, so alternatives are limited. I am working with Lime and others to address this issue, and I raised it directly with the City Hall’s cycling commissioner last week, but a business and jobs are at risk through the failure of Lime and others to regulate themselves.
Regulations are necessary and welcome. I hope the Minister will tell us this morning when the next consultation on secondary legislation will come forward, but I hope he also recognises that some solutions are available now. Southwark council could replicate Ealing and remove bikes at cost to the providers. Constructively, the council could move the bay outside Whelan’s to the verges on the opposite side of Rotherhithe Old Road.
Council inaction is inexcusable, especially under a Green leader who last year filmed a promotional video for Lime inside the council office, breaking council rules. I await the council investigation into that with some interest. Inaction is also inexcusable because the council announced a new deal for discounted bike use three months ago in an arrangement that has delivered no better management of bikes, and not one person has yet had a discounted fare. It is an amateur, premature fanfare of a scheme. Conditions should have been set for clearing bikes with the providers.
Lime claims it has 400 staff to clear bays and more need directing to those sites, but it says Southwark council sends no one to them. Council inaction is even more inexcusable because Lime has a £500 million fund to provide bays that local authorities can bid for. Embarrassingly, Southwark has bid for nothing—that is the summit of its aspiration for our community. It seems the Greens and their Lib Dem sidekicks in Southwark are too busy obsessing over Israel and international affairs to get on with helping people in our community. It is frankly incompetent and I will be pushing further to help everyone affected.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
It is a real pleasure to speak under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for securing the debate.
I want to give a Northern Ireland perspective. A senior doctor in the Belfast trust has aptly described the number of children being injured by e-scooters as an “epidemic”. It is an epidemic, not just in Northern Ireland but across the United Kingdom. More than 120 children within the Belfast trust area have been treated for injuries sustained in accidents involving e-bikes and e-scooters in the past 24 months. A similar picture is emerging in England, where a study estimates that nearly 500 children have been injured in e-scooter accidents since 2019.
Sadly, those figures do not surprise me. In my Strangford constituency, I regularly see e-scooters practically flying past the window along the footpath in front of my office, with pedestrians jumping aside to avoid being injured in a collision. Across the UK, 59 deaths involving e-scooters have been reported, 10 of which involved people under 18. We cannot wait for another child or older person to be hit and suffer life-altering injuries or worse. We must do everything we can to prevent a 60th death.
I welcome the Minister to his place; it is good to see him back in harness again, so to speak. Pedestrians are not the only ones at risk; riders are vulnerable to serious injury. Research into major trauma cases highlights the potential for devastating head injuries and damage to internal organs, yet reports suggest that less than 6% of e-scooter riders in Northern Ireland wear a helmet; in England that figure is estimated to be below 2%. Again, the threshold for a long-lasting injury—
Jim Shannon
No, I am on a two and a half minute time limit, so it would not be fair to everybody else.
This is a serious issue that demands immediate attention. I commend the Police Service of Northern Ireland for the work it has done and continues to do in raising awareness that it is currently illegal to use e-scooters on public roads and footpaths. The Ards police in my constituency have seized several e-scooters—some 20 that were being driven illegally have been seized so far, to give hon. Members an idea of the problems that we have in our territory. However, it is clear further legislation is needed to address the scale of this issue.
Can the Minister give us an idea of any legislative changes being considered and what engagement there will be with the Assembly and the PSNI? I call on the Minister to take stronger action to regulate e-scooter use and to consider more appropriate age restrictions and a mandatory helmet requirement. E-scooters may seem like a more convenient mode of transport for many, but they are a danger to the general public.
Anneliese Dodds (Oxford East) (Lab/Co-op)
It is a pleasure to speak in this debate, Mr Stringer. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for securing the debate, and in particular for underlining the potential impact of catastrophic injuries from such illegal vehicles.
I will add a couple of other problems resulting from the lack of regulation in this area. There has been a reduction in sales of legal e-bikes—surely not something that we want—because of the proliferation of illegal ones. Unfortunately, we are also seeing links with exploitation in the gig economy and with criminality. There has been a catastrophic drop in the sales of L1 category motorbikes too.
This problem is symbolic of people’s sense of a lack of control over their local area. It is exactly the kind of thing that the Prime Minister is getting a grip on right now, and it is important that we show leadership. My questions are all about solutions. First, when will the Department for Transport release its research into illegal e-bikes and food delivery? I believe it is due in the spring. Will the Department push for parliamentary time to talk about that?
Secondly, what progress has there been on the national work-related road safety charter? Can we see some details of that? Thirdly, we need more control over the supply chain and sales of illegal e-bikes, e-scooters and conversion kits. We need oversight and enforcement. One mechanism for that would be through the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025—a number of Members have been pushing for that. It has been three months since the consultation on that; when are we going to see some outcomes?
Noah Law (St Austell and Newquay) (Lab)
Will my right hon. Friend give way?
Anneliese Dodds
I am sorry, but I will not, because I want to be fair to everybody else.
Finally, can we please have a commitment from the Department for Transport to convene other Departments on this issue? I know that the Minister cares passionately about local people having control over their area, as he has shown in every role he has undertaken. With his Department, will he take the initiative to bring together all the Departments concerned about this problem, and will he do so before Christmas and make a big splash about it, so that people hear about it in the media and do not buy their kids these dangerous products and kits for Christmas, leading to the kinds of injuries that we have heard about?
Luke Taylor (Sutton and Cheam) (LD)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for bringing this important debate to the House. It is worth making it clear that I am a huge fan of e-bikes. I rode my e-cargo bike to the station this morning, and in term time I would have dropped my two boys off at school using the bike. I have covered more than 18,000 km in the last six years.
Our discussion today should focus on illegal e-bikes and e-scooters, but we need to be clear that we support the contribution that e-bikes make to active travel, taking cars off our roads, and reducing emissions, congestion and road danger. I differ slightly from my hon. Friend, however, as I believe that e-scooters are far too dangerous to be considered for regulation and legislation. They do not in any way qualify as active travel. They should be banned or removed from our streets entirely.
I have spoken repeatedly about the need for tougher regulation of illegally modified e-bikes. These vehicles plague the high street in Sutton, and sadly deter many local residents from visiting the shops that my town centre has to offer. Delivery drivers on e-bikes treat the stretch of Sutton high street like a racetrack. They rampage along pavements at speed, with no consideration for pedestrians around them. The nights are getting darker, but many ride without lights, endangering pedestrians and the riders themselves. My constituents should not have to spend their weekly shop looking over their shoulder, worried they might be mown down by a vehicle that should never have been on the road or the pavement in the first place.
The dangers do not end when the bikes stop moving. E-bikes are causing fires across the capital. We saw that recently in Mitcham, where a fire ripped through homes, as the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden (Dame Siobhain McDonagh) mentioned. The increase in illegal e-bike conversions, fires and accidents on our streets is driven by two main causes: the sale of high-powered e-bikes like Sur-Rons, and the multimillion-pound delivery companies that incentivise riders to use faster vehicles but take no responsibility for ensuring that they are legal and being ridden legally.
We Liberal Democrats want delivery platforms to be required to verify that bikes being used by riders are road legal. Regular checks should be made to ensure that illegally modified vehicles are not being used to complete food orders for pay. There must be clear consequences for companies that repeatedly fail to act to protect the public. Corporate giants of the gig economy world cannot continue to hide behind the self-employed status of their riders to seek impunity from responsibility. They already have the technology to track their drivers, identify them and verify that they are using the right accounts. They must be required to take reasonable steps to ensure that vehicles being used to make deliveries are legal.
Lola McEvoy (Darlington) (Lab)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for bringing this important debate to Westminster Hall.
On 16 May 2025, just before 1 pm, 86-year-old Gloria Stephenson was walking her daughter’s dog using a zebra crossing when she was hit by an 18-year-old riding a Sur-Ron e-bike. Gloria died at the scene. My constituent Julie Francis lost her mother that day. She has a petition for more police funding and has been a vocal campaigner for more action to get these bikes off the road. In September, I brought her to Parliament to meet the Policing Minister. Julie’s ask of us all is simple: “Don’t let my mother’s death be in vain.”
The rise of e-bikes and e-scooters in Darlington is a major problem. It is obvious from the cross-section of representation in the Chamber that we are not alone. The balaclava-wearing men tearing through our town and deliberately intimidating everyone else, on and off the road, are a visible degradation of our collective social contract. They are literally running amuck, Minister, and my constituents and I have had enough. “Ban them” is the most tempered call from residents, and the most appropriate for a parliamentary debate; many have suggested other measures, which I will not go into now. But the truth is that they are banned; it is already illegal to ride these dirt bikes, motocross bikes and e-scooters on our roads. Durham police are doing a great job of seizing and crushing them—I attended a scrapyard recently and crushed 70 of them with the police—but aside from that, they do not have the powers alone to tackle the problem.
One reason why this issue has become so prolific is that it requires a multi-Department approach. Will the Minister review the dirt bike licensing regime, because it is clearly ineffective? In the north-east, we have 34 licensed Sur-Ron bikes; I saw more than that crushed two weeks ago. Will he consider mirroring the gun licensing regulation to enforce stricter requirements for legitimate UK purchases, increasing the penalty for driving dirt bikes without a licence, and banning the sale of e-scooters entirely in our high-street retailers? Will he bring together a cross-Department taskforce to regulate the import of these dangerous kits and, ultimately, get these illegal bikes off our streets?
Lewis Cocking (Broxbourne) (Con)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for securing this vital debate. Every time I speak to people right across Broxbourne, this issue is at the top of their minds. If I was to ask someone about the regulation of e-scooters and e-bikes, they would say, quite simply, “What regulation?” As far as they are concerned, there is none. We all know about the day-to-day antisocial behaviour linked to e-bikes and e-scooters and are familiar with the horrific stories of their misuse. I have seen it many times: gangs of masked-up hooligans riding in packs, terrorising our high streets with no regard for anyone else’s safety. It makes a mockery of law and order and we need a proper crackdown.
What are the regulations? I checked the Government’s website before the debate—not something anyone who is riding an e-bike antisocially would do. The fastest e-bikes need to be registered, taxed and insured, and riders need a licence and a helmet, but it does not take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that individuals hiding their identity with a balaclava would not do any of that.
We need a joined-up approach right across Government that includes the Department for Transport. The Transport Minister in the other place said:
“The Government recognise the role that…electric cycles and scooters…can play in supporting economic growth, improving health and reducing emissions.”—[Official Report, House of Lords, 9 June 2026; Vol. 856, c. 1220.]
What a load of nonsense. That is far from the reality faced by people right across the United Kingdom, including in my constituency. The Government need to get a grip and use the full force of the law to stop illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters.
Ms Julie Minns (Carlisle) (Lab)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I congratulate the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) on securing this important debate. I will confine my remarks to e-bikes.
Let me begin by emphasising that legal e-bikes have an important role to play in sustainable transport and active travel, but vehicles that do not meet the definition of an electrically assisted pedal cycle and are used on the highway are illegal road vehicles and should be banned from sale. Earlier this year, I presented a Bill that proposed exactly that.
Illegal e-bikes, whether sold as such or converted using kits, pose serious safety risks. They reach speeds for which their frames and braking systems were never designed. They kill pedestrians and endanger other road users. Their batteries catch fire and cause devastating house fires and death. They facilitate criminal activity such as phone theft and drug dealing and they are a persistent nuisance in parks, on pavements and around stations. Their ready availability online also undermines legitimate markets, depressing the sale of legal, tested EAPCs and low-powered motorcycles. Meanwhile, the Motor Insurers’ Bureau settles millions of pounds in claims every single year for accidents involving illegal bikes, and the cost is borne by law-abiding motorists through higher premiums.
The Government must act with urgency to tackle this problem. They have the means to do so: the Product Regulation and Metrology Act gives Ministers powers to designate products that are unsafe and regulate to remove them from sale. What discussions has the Minister had with colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade about using those powers? Does he agree that the continued availability of illegal e-bikes is undermining confidence in legitimate cycling and risks tarnishing the cycling celebration that is the Tour de France when it comes to Britain—and, more importantly, my constituency—next year?
Josh Babarinde (Eastbourne) (LD)
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire); she is a legend for securing this debate and giving us all the opportunity to speak about this issue, which blights our communities.
One hundred and fifty years ago, the fastest vehicle on Eastbourne seafront was a horse-drawn bathing machine taking people down to the sea. Today, it is an illegal e-bike or e-scooter, jockeyed by a balaclava-wearing rider. The same is true of places such as Terminus Road—our high street—and Kings Drive, where the pavement is ruled no longer by the Eastbourne mobility scooter but by the vehicles we are discussing. Sussex police recorded a 53.7% rise in reports of illegal e-bike and e-scooter use in the year to June, and seized 321 vehicles between January and July.
Many, including my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Luke Taylor), have rightly said that we are fans of active travel and encouraging people to use more environmentally friendly means to get from A to B, but a dangerous minority of riders and vehicles are putting pedestrians at risk and giving responsible users of active travel a bad name. More than that, failed e-bike and e-scooter batteries have been responsible for devastating fires, such as that in Whitley Road in Eastbourne. The fire service has said:
“We have seen people forced into jumping from windows as they can’t get out of their front doors as the bike or scooter which has caught fire is in front of it.”
There are enormous safety risks.
Other jurisdictions are showing the way and leading on the issue. New York City, which banned the sale of uncertified e-bikes, saw deaths from battery fires fall in two years from 18 to just one. In New South Wales, Australia, police now test bikes at the roadside and crush illegal ones on the spot. I hope that the Minister will consider granting our police and law enforcement the same kinds of tools and regulating this sector adequately.
Dame Siobhain McDonagh
Is the hon. Gentleman aware that illegal e-bike battery fires in the Metropolitan police’s own pounds have cost the force half a million pounds? It confiscated 3,000 illegal e-bikes in the last year.
Josh Babarinde
Of course, there are financial costs, but there are costs to human life and livelihood as well. I hope the Minister will recognise that and commit to meeting representatives of Sussex police, which holds the national brief for road crime, to look at how we can best tackle the issue in Sussex and Eastbourne.
Richard Baker (Glenrothes and Mid Fife) (Lab)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer.
The human impact of the illegal use of e-bikes was powerfully set out by the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) at the beginning of the debate. It is certainly something we are aware of in my constituency, where Peggy Maxwell, who is 94, was mown down by a teenager on a Sur-Ron e-bike. Peggy suffered a broken neck, back, clavicle and ribs, and was hospitalised for three months. Many people would not have expected Peggy to come back from those injuries at her age, but she is determined and formidable, and she did. Last month, she attended a public meeting on e-bikes we held in Lochore with her family, who are now also campaigning for new laws on their use.
I add to the calls from right across the Chamber for more action on enforcement, point of sale regulation, and diversion from the illegal use of e-bikes. In Scotland, that requires action from both Westminster and Holyrood. I have been working on the issue with David Barratt, MSP for Cowdenbeath, and I am pleased that he secured a commitment from the Scottish Government that any bikes seized by the police will be destroyed and not sold on. That should be the course of action taken by all police forces. This Government have taken more action to give police more powers to seize e-bikes. It is vital that the Scottish Government take similar action for forces in Scotland.
It is important to consider what action we need to take on point of sale. Many people buying these bikes will be unaware that they cannot be used on public roads. Vendors need to provide information to the people who are buying these bikes, often for their children. We also have to consider further action on regulation and registration, and I support the comments by my hon. Friends the Members for Darlington (Lola McEvoy) and for Carlisle (Ms Minns) on that. Vendors need to have more responsibilities for this issue placed on them by Government.
Finally, on diversion, we have a great charity in my constituency, Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club, which gives people who have previously used e-bikes illegally the chance to use them safely and legally on a purpose-designed track, often on bikes that have been seized by the police. That sounds like a really good approach, and I hope we can see that supported across the country. The enjoyment and convenience of e-bikes and e-scooters for some is now seriously outweighed by the harms caused for many, and it is time for this Government to take further action.
Adam Dance (Yeovil) (LD)
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for securing this debate and for all the campaigning she has been doing on this important issue.
Illegally modified e-bikes and e-scooters have become more and more of a problem in Yeovil. Peter lives on Sherborne Road, which is a very busy road out of Yeovil. He is always very careful when he crosses, and he always sticks to the pavement; but for Peter, pavements have become just as dangerous as roads. Not for the first time, he was left one step away from A&E after someone came crashing by on an e-scooter doing 30 mph.
Sadly, Peter is not alone. The problem is not just one or two troublemakers in Yeovil; this is happening at scale across our communities, and it often comes with other forms of antisocial behaviour. Carol has been telling me how she keeps seeing people on modified e-bikes travelling at speed down Middle Street in the wrong direction, dodging pedestrians. Nicki told me it is unsafe to take her seven-year-old nephew to the park because kids are crashing up and down on e-scooters. Katriana has told me about the near-misses involving dogs, young children and the elderly. Just the other day, I was out canvassing, and three lads shot past me on e-scooters in balaclavas shouting abuse at other residents. It is just a matter of time before someone gets really badly hurt—including the people riding these vehicles, as we have heard today.
It goes without saying that we need our police to carry out focused enforcement interventions. We need intervention from the Government in the form of training and funding. We also need proper education campaigns on this—and by that, I do not just mean giving schools more work to do; we need something on the scale of the THINK! campaign, particularly on social media. In Parliament, we need to push for clearer legislation, because the current legal framework for e-bikes is confusing, outdated and rarely enforced. Most importantly, Government need to crack down properly on the supply chain and unregulated online marketplaces that are flooding our streets with these illegal vehicles.
To get anywhere in Somerset, you pretty much have to drive. That means road tax, insurance and sticking to the rules. People in Yeovil are rightly angry that these people on illegal e-bikes and e-scooters and those who sell them do none of those things, put people at risk and get away with it. That cannot be allowed to go on any more.
Deirdre Costigan (Ealing Southall) (Lab)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer, and I thank the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for securing this debate.
From commuters trying to get to Southall station in the morning to my 82-year-old constituent trying to get to Ealing hospital along Boston Road, e-bikes on the pavement are a daily annoyance in Ealing Southall. People think that the council is to blame, but the truth is that the council has almost no powers when it comes to e-bikes and e-scooters. In fact, anyone in Ealing could set up an e-bike company in a morning—I could do it myself, and there is nothing the council could do to stop me. All the council can do is try to agree a voluntary memorandum of understanding with e-bike companies, but that is just a gentlemen’s agreement; it is not the law.
In reality, e-bike companies can do whatever they want. This has led to a wild west situation in London, with a patchwork of companies operating in different boroughs, which is why we have bikes piled up at borough boundaries, and it is almost impossible to hold companies to account for bad parking or massive oversupply of bikes in some areas. Ealing made a voluntary agreement with two companies, Forest and Lime, but a third company, Voi, is refusing to leave the borough, and there is not a lot the council can do about it.
I am delighted that this Labour Government have already taken concrete action, after years of inaction by the previous Government. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, passed before the summer, will finally give councils and mayors the powers to license e-bike and hopefully also e-scooter companies. Although some steps still need to be taken in Parliament to formally pass those powers to the Mayor of London, it will mean we can set London-wide rules for e-bikes, including on mandatory parking spaces, age limits for riders and insurance. We will also be able to fine companies that do not play by these rules.
The previous Government did not have the courage to act, but Labour is doing what it promised: devolving powers to local communities, so that they can make the rules in their areas. All we need now is for the Minister to hop on his e-scooter and pick up the pace a bit, so that we can get these powers transferred to the Mayor of London as soon as possible.
Charlie Maynard (Witney) (LD)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for securing this debate and for her excellent speech.
Like all of us present, I find the dangerous misuse of e-bikes and e-scooters is being raised with me more and more. In my constituency, current regulations are not working well and lead to a lot of confusion. One of my constituents wrote to me saying that their friend had been arrested for riding an e-scooter; it turns out they had no idea that privately owned e-scooters are illegal on roads, cycle paths and pavements in the UK. Another constituent wrote to me saying that they had seen e-bikes advertised on the Argos website, and only in the questions and comments did it say they were only for private land use. Locally, Thames Valley police officers are finding and seizing bikes that are able to go 120 mph.
The problem keeps growing. By some estimates, there are more than 1 million e-scooters in use across the country, with no standards for speed, brakes or batteries. High-powered e-bikes and conversion kits are being sold for off-road use and then ridden on roads. Uncertified batteries sold online cause deadly fires. Victims of illegal machines face an insurance gap and, as my hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell mentioned, rental scooter trials have been extended again and again since 2020. There is some good news: since June, the Crime and Policing Act 2026 has let police seize antisocially ridden e-bikes without a warning, and seizures nearly doubled to about 7,000 last year. Overall, however, legislation is outdated and hard to enforce.
We should do what many other countries have done already. Private e-scooters should be legalised and regulated, with a speed cap, product standards, lights and a minimum age, so that police can concentrate on machines that do not comply. Over-specced e-bikes and conversion kits should be stopped at the point of sale. That means making online marketplaces legally responsible, appropriately funding trading standards and requiring battery certification. Faster or modified bikes could be required to carry registration or plates, and delivery platforms could be required to check that their riders’ bikes are legal. The police also need practical help, including funding for testing equipment and specialist teams, cheaper storage and quick crushing of seized bikes, fixed penalties for lower-level offences and compulsory insurance for faster e-bikes.
Matt Rodda (Reading Central) (Lab)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for securing this important debate. I am aware of the time pressure, so I will try to be brief.
I strongly support cycling and the legal use of electric bicycles, where permitted. However, I am afraid to say the irresponsible use of e-bikes and e-scooters is a serious problem in my constituency, and residents have raised a range of issues on a range of fronts. First, intimidating behaviour on footpaths and pavements, particularly near and in parks, is causing serious concern in many parts of the town. That includes e-scooters whizzing down narrow streets where the pavements are less than 1 metre wide, e-bike riders riding over the two road bridges across the Thames on the pedestrian footpaths and intimidating residents, the lack of use of bells and the speed at which people are riding the bikes. It also includes high-powered electric motorbikes—I think that is the only way to describe them.
I have seen two absolutely shocking incidents relating to these types of vehicles. In one case, it was a group of black-clad young people with black balaclavas riding around the Reading inner distribution road, a major highway around the town centre, pulling wheelies in front of cars. On another occasion, I saw a similarly dressed group doing dangerous stunts and jumps in a park, close to where families were picnicking with toddlers. That is absolutely irresponsible and utterly unacceptable.
I am pleased to say there is some good news. As the hon. Member for Witney (Charlie Maynard) mentioned, Thames Valley police is taking a firm line. It has been crushing the bikes, using drones to follow them in parks and using the new legislation introduced by the Government to arrive at people’s houses and confiscate them immediately rather than having to issue a warning, which was previously the case. Our local council has also secured a public space protection order, which gives local council officers more powers to address the bikes. I praise the police and the council for the action they are taking, but I ask the Minister to see what further powers could be used to try to contain this very serious problem.
Noah Law (St Austell and Newquay) (Lab)
Within my constituency, the communications I recently held with residents on antisocial behaviour highlighted major concerns about e-bikes and other powered bikes being ridden not just around town, but in abandoned china clay pits, on footpaths and along other rights of way. My constituents rightly raised concerns about safety and the impact of antisocial behaviour, where rules are deliberately ignored by riders, on those shared spaces.
Those concerns should not be dismissed; our constituents are right to expect the law to be enforced effectively, so I welcome the Government’s additional powers to seize and dispose of dangerous vehicles being used unlawfully, and the wider efforts to tackle the sale of unsafe and illegal products. Those measures should help us to ensure that the enforcement agencies can respond much more effectively.
At the same time, however, there is a wider point to contribute to this debate, particularly when it comes to young people. Many young people are drawn to e-bikes because of the freedom, the independence and the sense of community that they offer. That interest in itself is not a problem to be regulated, as strict as we must be in some of the other measures we have described today; it can be channelled into sports, into skills, into training and volunteering opportunities.
I highlight the work of the Cornwall Bicycle Project in Par, which provides those vital skills and the volunteering and community engagement opportunities, engaging people from a wide range of backgrounds, including those who have struggled in mainstream education and are looking for routes into employment and training. The model ensures that the enthusiasm for e-bikes can be channelled in a positive way: it can offer a practical route into learning new skills, it can build confidence and responsibility, and it can create connections within those communities.
Lastly, I recognise the role that Imerys has played more broadly in supporting access to nature, outdoor recreation and sports within the china clay area—but it should not be down to one company to solve this huge issue in our area. Local authorities, police, business, community organisations and education providers need to be supported by our Government in a strategic manner to play their part.
Olly Glover (Didcot and Wantage) (LD)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for setting out the case for regulation of e-bikes and e-scooters with great passion and conviction. She spoke very movingly of the loss of her constituent Jacob’s life, and highlighted the enormous geographical range of police forces that are concerned about this issue.
Hon. Members from across the country have also spoken with great thought on some of the key themes of the debate. First and foremost is the human impact of the problem of illegally modified and used e-bikes and e-scooters: not only the deaths and the injuries, but the fear that so many people feel, particularly people with disabilities or who are partially sighted, and the fact that pavements are no longer thought of by everybody as a place of refuge from motor traffic and somewhere that they can rely on to safely complete their journey.
Some hon. Members also highlighted the growing financial impact of the problem in terms of insurance payouts, where users of these vehicles who are not insured mean that everyone else bears the cost through increased premiums. They noted the problem of battery fires, which sometimes lead to loss of life, and rightly stressed the need for greater enforcement and for more support and resources for our police in dealing with the issue.
Part of the problem comes from the complexity of what an e-bike or e-scooter is or is not. A legal e-bike has pedal-assisted electric power up to a speed of 15.5 mph and no more. In some parts of the country there are long-standing trials of e-scooters, but in most places there are not, and that adds to the complexity. According to statistics from the Office for Product Safety and Standards, the vast majority of battery fires arise from conversion kits and unknown brands of e-bike, highlighting the need for much greater product regulation.
In 2025, London’s Metropolitan police seized more than 2,200 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters across London. In the first seven months of 2026 it seized more than 2,500—already exceeding the whole of 2025. In March 2026, a two-day enforcement operation seized 52 illegal e-bikes and mopeds. The London Fire Brigade reports that e-bike fires have doubled between 2022 and 2025, with most fires caused by illegally modified or designed e-bikes and their batteries. Many people see some food delivery couriers using e-bikes, sometimes illegally modified, in a reckless and inconsiderate manner.
However, there is also a great opportunity if we can get e-bikes right. In 2024, the UK sold just 2.1 e-bikes per 1,000 people, compared with 8.5 in France and a staggering 36.1 in Denmark. If we do not buck that trend, we are unlikely to achieve the continuation of cycling into older age that happens in the Netherlands, where e-bike travel accounts for over 50% of cycling distance in the 65 to 75 age bracket. There is an opportunity, as well as a problem that needs to be solved.
As well as the many hon. Members from many parties who have spoken on this issue, the all-party parliamentary group for cycling and walking conducted an inquiry into this issue last year and produced a very thoughtful and wide-ranging report. At the Liberal Democrat conference in September, which is still only last month—time is a very strange concept in this job—we passed definitive policy on the need to take much tougher action on illegally modified e-bikes. The strength of feeling in this room shows there is a widespread lack of confidence that the current Government are taking the co-ordinated and sustained action we need on this issue.
This is a multifaceted problem that straddles many Government Departments, and we know from many Select Committee reports and the Institute for Government that, alas, we have not always been good at tackling problems that straddle multiple Departments. Hopefully the Minister will give us some assurance that a multi-pronged, multi-departmental approach will be taken on this issue.
Our asks of the Government are as follows: first, we need to tackle the root cause, which is the supply chains. We need to make online retailers police and stop the sale of all non-conforming e-bikes, conversion kits, batteries and chargers, dealing with the problem at its source. We also need to deal with the perverse incentives created by the gig economy. The phenomenon of worker substitution makes avoiding individual identification and accountability too easy, while the pay-per-delivery model used by many of the delivery platforms incentivises reckless and illegal behaviour. Delivery platforms should be undertaking their own speed and e-bike checks. They need to take some responsibility for the issue.
Dame Siobhain McDonagh
Is the hon. Member aware that University College London published data this week indicating that almost three quarters of delivery riders surveyed are concerned about their own bike battery catching fire, while one in 10 had personally experienced overheating?
Olly Glover
Those statistics highlight the problem. The delivery companies need to take ownership rather than dumping the problem on everybody else, leading to the demonisation of their workforce, and expecting the Government to clear up their mess. They need to take action as well. If they will not, they need to be regulated much more toughly.
The Government also need to get on with legislating to regulate e-scooters clearly and consistently. The current postcode lottery of arrangements is unhelpful for everybody. We also need a Government-backed e-bike safety certification scheme, building on the action taken by the cycling industry to come up with its own kitemark to show that an e-bike is safely manufactured and compliant with legal standards.
Our police need much greater support. They need greater powers, they need more training on how to identify illegal e-bikes, and they need appropriate resources. We should also consider a national swap or amnesty scheme for illegally modified or designed e-bikes and e-scooters so that people can come forward. We heard from the hon. Member for Glenrothes and Mid Fife (Richard Baker) about how seized e-bikes can be used for positive purposes. There are good examples of such amnesty schemes in New York.
The biggest reason why this needs to be tackled is the human impact, in terms of both deaths and injuries and the increase in fear and nervousness when using our streets.
Anna Dixon
I recently spoke to an A&E doctor in my constituency who had witnessed the rise in catastrophic injuries, particularly to children and young people. Does the hon. Member agree that we have to get to the source and ban conversion kits to stop these deadly bikes?
Olly Glover
I agree, and the hon. Lady is right to highlight the impact on our health service. There is also the economic impact on insurance. If this problem is not dealt with, there is a real risk that it will undermine the Government’s commendable aim to increase walking, cycling and wheeling, and all the resulting health and congestion-reduction benefits. I look forward to hearing the Minister’s comments, and I hope to see the tough, multi-departmental action we need.
Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I commend the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for securing the debate. We have all heard from constituents about the problems caused by the illegal use of these vehicles, whether it is people riding e-bikes on the pavement, e-bikes clearly operating in violation of existing rules, private scooters being ridden on the road, or the serious impact of lithium-ion battery fires on public safety.
The concerns we hear from the public about these devices underscore why effective and proportionate regulation is necessary. People need to know that those using these vehicles are following the rules of the road. However, combining the two issues in this debate risks being somewhat redundant, given that, where we are not discussing dockless rental schemes, the regulatory regimes governing the two types of vehicles are very different.
There is a clear set of rules governing the use of e-bikes. The technical limits in the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations 1983 and the associated standards set a reasonably robust framework for their use, but as we have heard, there is a need to go further. That raises the fundamental point we need to consider when examining the regulation of these vehicles: are the current regulations being followed? That is why we must address the need for a much stronger approach to the enforcement of existing laws and regulations.
Over the past couple of years, several local and national news organisations have highlighted the increased illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters. For example, data obtained under freedom of information requests revealed that the number of crimes committed on e-bikes in London alone exceeded 10,000 in 2025, but only 221 of them resulted in the perpetrator being caught and charged—a pretty poor rate of 2.2%. To be honest, if we walked out of Parliament now and observed a nearby crossing, it would not take long to spot an e-bike rider flouting the law.
Anna Dixon
I have been out with my local police, and it is clear that they do not have the powers to pursue these very fast, illegal e-bikes to detain people. Gathering evidence is often not possible because of balaclavas. Does the hon. Member recognise that the Government’s action to give the police stronger powers to seize and destroy bikes from garages and lock-ups is a proportionate response to tackling this problem at source and helping the police to do their job?
Greg Smith
I do not think the hon. Lady and I are a million miles apart. Colleagues from all parties have set out serious concerns in this debate. The police having greater powers and enforcement ability is always welcome, but my hon. Friend the Member for Stockton West (Matt Vickers) tried to get much stronger regulation and enforcement powers put into legislation during this Parliament, and the Government resisted. It would be foolish to pretend that all the powers needed are out there. We would not be debating this in Westminster Hall if all was fine and rosy.
Lola McEvoy
Having had 14 years in power to do something about this issue, the Conservative party might be expected to support the next stage of our policing regulations, as set out in the King’s Speech. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that it would be great if the upcoming policing Bill contained provisions on the regulation of off-road bikes?
Greg Smith
It is a well-rehearsed line, but e-bikes and e-scooters were not actually a thing for a large proportion of the previous Government’s 14 years.
Greg Smith
I accept the hon. Lady’s point about off-road bikes and dirt bikes, but the technology of e-bikes and e-scooters did not exist. These products were not even for sale for a large proportion of that time.
Greg Smith
I said I would give way only once more. I fully appreciate that this is a debate—I give way a lot in debates—but I need to make the rest of my comments.
It is almost as if my speech had been pre-written for the first intervention I took: we need to support the police with the resources they need to tackle both the illegal use of these vehicles and their use as enablers of other offences. I appreciate that, last year, the Government introduced legislative changes to make it easier to seize some of these vehicles, but the changes can be effective only if the relevant authorities have the resources to enforce them. Furthermore, I hope the Minister will ask his colleagues to consider policies that enable the police to intervene whenever they witness dangerous behaviour involving e-bikes and e-scooters, as well as ways to impose tougher penalties. Illegal behaviour must be appropriately punished. There must be consequences.
That must be combined with increased police recruitment to ensure that officers are available to tackle this reckless behaviour, including targeted enforcement in locations where crime is most prevalent. However, under this Government we have unfortunately seen a reduction in overall police officer numbers. We should therefore commend the police forces that are using existing regulations to tackle the illegal use of these vehicles and finding innovative ways to discourage illegal behaviour. One recent example is the City of London police’s use of its so-called sin bin, which is designed specifically for cyclists who ride through red lights or across zebra crossings. Those caught are required to watch a safety video, which takes considerably longer than it would to have simply waited for the light to change. Of course, that can apply to any bike, but we regularly see users of e-bike schemes engaging in that kind of behaviour. By removing the perceived benefit of jumping a red light or riding illegally across a crossing, these measures could help to deter such behaviour.
At the same time, many of us have seen the increasing use of private e-scooters alongside the illegal use of e-bikes. Figures released by the Metropolitan police in July show that it had confiscated more e-scooters in the first seven months of the year than it had in the previous whole calendar year. Some people may ask whom this behaviour harms, but the answer is clear. If we cannot enforce the rules we already have in place, we risk endangering the public, particularly disabled people, who rely on our road safety infrastructure to protect them.
That brings us to the increasingly prevalent dockless e-bike and e-scooter rental schemes. Disability charities, particularly those representing people with visual impairment, have highlighted the significant challenges posed by these schemes. Research by the Royal National Institute of Blind People shows that 81% of survey respondents said that bikes or e-scooters left on pavements make their journeys more difficult. I therefore understand the desire to call for appropriate regulation of these businesses. In fact, a number of these organisations have called on local government, and particularly the Mayor of London, to show leadership on the issue and to be clear about what local government wants to achieve from the schemes.
I hope we follow the approach set out by the leadership of Westminster city council. Dockless bikes are here to stay, but poorly parked bikes have become a major headache—indeed, a danger—for pedestrian and businesses. It is worth noting that at a meeting with the major operators in August, Westminster city council agreed to share data that would give the authority a much more accurate picture of the thousands of vehicles operating in the borough. The council also stated that dockless bike operators were considering removing or relocating parking bays that are near taxi ranks and disabled parking bays, to help to keep pavements clear.
Working with the companies in a way that allows them to operate safely and legally is the principal way we should approach the problem.
Greg Smith
I give way to the hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Neil Coyle).
Neil Coyle
On the point about Westminster council and data, does the hon. Gentleman support the Mayor of London’s request that the new Government regulations require all providers to share information on how many bikes and vehicles they have on the road in our capital, and wherever else they are operated? I obviously have a London interest.
Graham Stringer (in the Chair)
Order. The hon. Gentleman has been generous in taking interventions, but he is coming to the end of his time. I presume he will draw his remarks to a conclusion.
Greg Smith
Of course, Mr Stringer.
I recognise the point made by the hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark on data sharing, as led by Westminster city council. If the Mayor of London is doing that, it is something that is straightforward and sensible to be done.
We need real action from the Government. We need the serious problems that Members from all parties have mentioned in the debate to be taken seriously, and that means listening to both sides of the House and ensuring that the sensible suggestions that have been made are actually met.
Graham Stringer (in the Chair)
In calling the Minister, may I request that he leaves two or three minutes at the end for the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell to wind up?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Justin Madders)
It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for securing the debate, and the many Members who made contributions.
Although this was billed as a transport debate, a number of other Departments clearly have some influence and interest in the matter, not least the Home Office. A lot of the debate has been about the impact of the reckless and illegal use of e-scooters and e-bikes—ranging from nuisance and antisocial behaviour to downright criminality—in all our constituencies. We heard a number of tragic stories about the serious harm that misuse can cause, including life-changing injuries and, indeed, fatalities, so I want to start by reassuring Members that I and the Government understand the importance of the issues raised.
It is correct to say, as a number of Members did, that e-bikes and e-scooters have a role to play in our communities—they provide another transport option and have the potential to improve individuals’ health and reduce emissions—but, as we have heard clearly today, an inconsistent approach to regulation and sales over years has left loopholes that at best confuse people and at worst leave this area open to criminal abuse. As my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Ms Minns) said, the illegal activity is undermining the positive story we want to talk about in respect of the use of these vehicles.
Dr Jeevun Sandher (Loughborough) (Lab)
Like other Members across this Chamber, I am facing huge problems in my constituency with bike gangs and those who are causing real harm to my community. I thank the Minister and the Government for all the work they have done—more police, more powers, more local work, the banning of balaclavas and careless bike riding, and getting TikTok accounts taken down. That is a win for us all, and we are building safer communities, but can the Minister assure me that it is not the end and that the Government will keep going further to stop the bike gangs and keep my community safe?
Justin Madders
As my hon. Friend will hear in the rest of my speech, we will be going further in a number of areas. I absolutely recognise his concerns.
Justin Madders
This will be the last intervention; we have a lot to fit in.
Jim Shannon
While we all look for legislative change, there has to be something within the system for the purchase of e-bikes to ensure that young people do not injure themselves. The Belfast health trust has had more than 100 people who have been injured, and it is young people driving them. Is it not important to have some sort of regulation and guidance for those people who perhaps do not want to break the law but end up doing so and injuring themselves?
Justin Madders
There is an awful lot we need to be looking at in terms of the retail element, which I will come to shortly.
We have heard contributions from my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford East (Anneliese Dodds); from my hon. Friends the Members for Darlington (Lola McEvoy), for Mitcham and Morden (Dame Siobhain McDonagh), for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Neil Coyle), for Carlisle, for Glenrothes and Mid Fife (Richard Baker), for Ealing Southall (Deirdre Costigan), for Reading Central (Matt Rodda), for St Austell and Newquay (Noah Law), for Rushcliffe (James Naish), for Leeds South West and Morley (Mark Sewards), for Tamworth (Sarah Edwards), for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson), for Wolverhampton West (Warinder Juss) and for Shipley (Anna Dixon); and from the hon. Members for Broxbourne (Lewis Cocking), for Stockton West (Matt Vickers), for Eastbourne (Josh Babarinde), for Sutton and Cheam (Luke Taylor), for Yeovil (Adam Dance), for Witney (Charlie Maynard), for Strangford (Jim Shannon) and for East Londonderry (Mr Campbell). This is clearly a nationwide issue that Members throughout the House are particularly interested in. I will not be able to address every single comment, but I will pick out a few that I can address now. We will respond in writing—either me or the relevant Minister—to issues that we are not able to pick up.
I know that my hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden has campaigned on this issue for a long time. She mentioned e-bike fires, which I am well aware of as I was the Minister responsible for the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025. I have met Sofia Duarte’s mother and I absolutely agree that it is important that we introduce regulations. I will address that in due course.
My hon. Friend the Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark probably shared a little too much information about his body shape, but he asked an important question about the national licensing framework. I can confirm that the consultation on that will begin imminently.
My hon. Friend the Member for Darlington mentioned the tragic circumstances of her constituent Gloria. I absolutely hear what her daughter Julie has said, and reassure her that we will act on that. My hon. Friend mentioned a review of the dirt bike licensing regime; I will come back to her on that in writing. She was right, as were my hon. Friend the Member for Glenrothes and Mid Fife and the hon. Member for Witney, along with several others, about the responsibility of retailers. It is not good enough to put in small print that these vehicles are for use only on private land. That is not the action of a responsible retailer. Let me be clear: we expect retailers to clean up their act, and if they are not able to do that, more levers are available for us to deal with that.
It might help if I briefly set out the current legislative framework. The Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations 1983 set out the parameters for what is legal and what is not. The power of the electric motor on a legal e-bike cannot exceed 250 watts, and the maximum assisted speed cannot exceed 15.5 mph. Anything faster or more powerful is an electric motorbike and should therefore be approved and registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, taxed and insured. In addition, the rider must wear a safety helmet and hold a driving licence. A vehicle that is too fast or too powerful and not properly registered as an electric motorbike is illegal for use on public roads. We absolutely need to restate that.
The hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell mentioned concerns that the police do not have enough powers. I think it is fair to say, as a number of Members recognised, that the Government have made it easier for the police to act thanks to measures in the Crime and Policing Act 2026—I am afraid the shadow Minister forgot to mention that his party voted against it on Third Reading. The police can now seize vehicles without first having to issue a warrant.
As my hon. Friend the Member for Reading Central said, police forces use a range of different tactics; we are keen to learn from experiences up and down the country. I am pleased to report that there is a lot of cracking down in different forces, tackling the issue from London to Liverpool. Merseyside police’s Operation Gears seized 500 illegal electric motorbikes and e-scooters in 2025. Only last week, the local constabulary in my Ellesmere Port constituency seized around 13 illegal vehicles, supported by one of my local councillors, Katie Kendrick. The issue really matters to people, because we all see it on the streets. If people are wearing balaclavas on bikes, it is criminality hiding in plain sight. It is equivalent to the dodgy vape shop. It is important that we support the police to use the powers they have, and look at whether more powers are needed to deal with the issue.
Of course, that is only one side of the problem. As we have discussed, it is far too easy to get hold of these vehicles, which means we must look at doing more at the point of sale. This is about not just the bikes but the e-bike conversion kits which, as we have heard, have the potential to pose real harm to cyclists and others. E-bike batteries can be dangerous if they are not properly installed, and they must be properly regulated to keep people safe.
As Members will be aware, over the summer the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade consulted on a range of updates to the product safety framework, including clear duties for online marketplaces to take due care to identify, prevent and remove from their sites unsafe products such as unsafe or non-compliant batteries and their use in e-bikes and conversion kits. That consultation has now closed. BIST officials are considering the responses as part of drafting the Government’s response. As the Minister who introduced the enabling legislation, I am keener than most to ensure that we make the best use of it. I remind the shadow Minister yet again that his party voted against that particular set of laws.
Let me turn briefly to e-scooters. The hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell told us about the tragic death of Jacob Calland, and my sympathies are with his family; I understand that they met my predecessor, and I am keen to continue that dialogue. As Members have pointed out, private e-scooters are illegal for use on public roads. They can be legally used only through the Government’s trials, which have been extended to May 2028. The trial system was implemented back in 2020 but has never been placed on a statutory footing. We are making a firm commitment that we will legislate to define e-scooters in law, which will provide the certainty that we currently do not have. People will know what is legal and what is not, and what can be enforced against.
Justin Madders
The hon. Member will have an opportunity to respond at the end.
It is fair to say that there is no international consensus on the right package of regulations for e-scooters, which is why our trial extension is important. We recognise that there will be trade-offs when regulating e-scooters, which is why we will consult next year on detailed proposals.
I will conclude, because the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell will want an opportunity to respond. My hon. Friend the Member for Darlington and my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford East asked whether I will use my convening power in the Department to get action across Government. I am pleased to confirm that I am working with colleagues across the Home Office and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, and we are setting up a cross-departmental working group to look at this issue, because we consider it an important matter to be tackled across Government. I will shortly meet colleagues across the House who have raised these issues, and I hope to be able to provide regular updates, because this is an important matter to Members and we are determined to tackle it.
Helen Maguire
I thank everyone who has attended this incredibly important debate for their contributions, and I want to highlight a few of them. The hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden (Dame Siobhain McDonagh) spoke about her constituent Sofia Duarte, who sadly died following a fire; my heart goes out to her and her family.
The right hon. Member for Oxford East (Anneliese Dodds) talked about bringing Departments together. That is critical, because this is a cross-departmental issue and Governments are usually not very good at working across Departments. I hope the Minister takes that on board so that we can find some solutions.
My hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Luke Taylor) talked about impunity for employers in the gig economy. It is vital that we resolve that.
My hon. Friend the Member for Eastbourne (Josh Babarinde) spoke about some interesting measures in New South Wales and New York. It is really important that we look at what is being done abroad and what has been successful in other places.
The hon. Member for Carlisle (Ms Minns) said that the popularity of e-bikes is depressing the sale of legal motorbikes. That has a consequence for the Treasury, because there is less income as a result, which is incredibly important.
My hon. Friend the Member for Yeovil (Adam Dance) spoke about the blatant ignorance of individuals who are not paying road tax and are flouting the rules. Again, that has an impact on the Treasury.
The hon. Member for Reading Central (Matt Rodda) spoke about intimidating behaviour, which I am sure many Members across the House have seen. We need stronger powers for the police, as many Members said, so that they can not only enforce on the streets and roads but identify what is legal and what is not. We need there to be point-of-sale responsibility, which is not happening at the moment. We also need a decision about the trials. I welcome the Minister saying that he will bring people together and that there will be legislation at some point, but we need a timeframe; we cannot have this trial going on for another two years.
We need action and we need decisions. We need to end the current confusion about what is legal and what is not, because retailers do not have to provide information about that when people make a purchase. Fundamentally, we need to make our streets and parks safe again for our constituents. I hope the Minister will take away all the contributions been made today.
Question put and agreed to.
Resolved,
That this House has considered the regulation of e-scooters and e-bikes.