Key Points
- A joint operation by South Wales Police, Cardiff Council and the National Police Air Service led to 68 illegal mechanically propelled vehicles being seized on Friday.
- The total number of illegally modified e-bikes, e-scooters and off-road motorcycles seized in Cardiff since August 2025 has now reached 800.
- Officers stopped an illegally modified e-bike on Castle Street that was capable of reaching 86km/h, or 53mph.
- Police said 17 illegal e-bikes were seized from riders using the Taff Trail and other parks and green spaces across Cardiff.
- The crackdown took place during Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week and targeted areas including the Taff Trail, Gabalfa, Cathays, Cardiff city centre, Canton, Grangetown and Ely.
- Several people were arrested during the operation, including a man in his 20s found with crack cocaine and heroin, and two 16-year-old boys stopped on an electric motorcycle in Ely.
- Cardiff Council said residents had repeatedly raised concerns about dangerous, illegally modified electric bikes and scooters being ridden at high speed in public spaces.
- Police urged anyone with information about illegal e-bike or e-scooter use to report it.
Cardiff (Wales Times) July 10, 2026 – South uk/police/">Wales Police and cardiff/cardiff-council/">Cardiff Council have stepped up enforcement against illegal e-bikes and scooters in a city-wide crackdown that led to dozens of seizures, multiple arrests and the destruction of vehicles linked to anti-social behaviour. The operation, carried out with support from the National Police Air Service, targeted busy streets, trails and parks across Cardiff after repeated complaints from residents about unsafe and disruptive riding.
What happened in Cardiff?
Police said 68 illegal mechanically propelled vehicles, or MPVs, were confiscated on Friday as part of the latest joint operation. That brought the total number seized in Cardiff since August 2025 to 800, a figure the council described as evidence of sustained enforcement against the problem.
Among the vehicles removed was an illegally modified e-bike stopped on Castle Street that officers said was capable of reaching 86km/h, or 53mph. Another 17 illegal e-bikes were taken from riders using the Taff Trail and other parks and green spaces across the city, where officers said such vehicles have become a recurring concern.
The enforcement effort took place during Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week and focused on areas identified as hotspots by police and council officers. These included the Taff Trail, Gabalfa, Cathays, Cardiff city centre, Canton, Grangetown and Ely.
Why were police targeting e-bikes?
Inspector Tim Ursell of South Wales Police said the operation was launched in response to community concerns about illegal e-bikes and scooters. As reported by Inspector Tim Ursell of South Wales Police, officers continue to carry out “resource-heavy operations” to tackle the issue in local communities.
He said the operation involved both plain-clothes and uniformed officers patrolling hotspot areas. The approach, he added, was designed to identify riders using illegally modified vehicles in places where pedestrians, cyclists and families are also likely to be present.
Cardiff Council said residents had repeatedly raised concerns about the dangers posed by illegally modified electric bikes and scooters being ridden at high speeds in public spaces. The council said the partnership with South Wales Police has now removed 800 illegally modified e-bikes, e-scooters and off-road bikes from Cardiff’s streets and green spaces since August last year.
What arrests were made?
Alongside the vehicle seizures, police said several people were arrested during the same operation. One of the more serious incidents involved a man in his 20s from Cardiff who was stopped while riding a Sur-Ron electric bike at Lydstep Park in Gabalfa.
Officers said a search found 33 wraps of crack cocaine and heroin, worth around £1,000, together with two mobile phones. He appeared in court on Saturday and was convicted of two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and one count of possession of a Class B drug. He is due to be sentenced next month.
In another case, an 18-year-old man arrested after being spotted riding an illegal e-bike in Ely was later detained on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs and driving without a licence or insurance. Police said he has been released on bail while enquiries continue.
Two 16-year-old boys were also arrested after officers stopped an electric motorcycle in Ely. Police said one of the teenagers was additionally arrested on suspicion of assaulting emergency workers, while around 35g of cannabis was recovered.
In a separate incident, a 21-year-old man from Splott was arrested in Cathays on suspicion of possessing a Class B drug after officers observed him meeting another rider on a Sur-Ron before entering an alleyway.
How are police and council responding?
The operation shows that authorities are treating illegal e-bike use as more than a traffic problem. Police and council leaders are linking the issue to public safety, anti-social behaviour and, in some cases, drug-related offending.
The joint nature of the crackdown is also significant. South Wales Police provided frontline enforcement, Cardiff Council supported the local response and the National Police Air Service helped with surveillance and operational oversight. That combination suggests the authorities are using a wider policing model to tackle riders moving quickly between neighbourhoods and green spaces.
Cllr Ed Stubbs, Cardiff Council’s cabinet member for frontline services, said the partnership had taken 800 illegally modified vehicles off Cardiff’s streets and green spaces since August 2025. That figure points to a sustained problem rather than an isolated burst of offending, and explains why the council continues to back repeated operations.
Why does this matter now?
The timing matters because the crackdown was carried out during Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week, when police forces across the UK often highlight issues affecting neighbourhood safety. Cardiff’s operation fits that wider theme by focusing on conduct that residents say is causing fear, disruption and risk in public places.
The issue is also likely to remain sensitive because illegal e-bikes and e-scooters can be difficult to distinguish from lawful models until officers stop and inspect them. Once modified, they can travel far faster than intended for public spaces, which raises concerns about collisions with pedestrians, children, cyclists and other road users.
The seizures also show how enforcement can intersect with wider crime detection. The drug arrests described by police suggest that some riders may be using e-bikes not only for transport but also for offending activity, adding another layer to the city’s response.
What did the officers say?
Inspector Tim Ursell said the enforcement activity was based on concerns raised by communities in Cardiff. He said officers had been patrolling hotspot areas in plain clothes and uniform, indicating that police were trying to identify both obvious and concealed illegal use.
His comments suggest the force views the issue as one that requires repeated operations rather than one-off action. The council’s comments point in the same direction, with residents said to have consistently raised alarm about modified vehicles travelling at unsafe speeds in parks and on shared paths.
Police also urged anyone with information about illegal e-bike or e-scooter use to report it. That appeal indicates that officers want local intelligence as well as visible patrols to help identify repeat offenders and illegal modifications.
Background of this development
Illegal e-bikes and e-scooters have become a growing concern in many UK cities because modified vehicles can be made much faster than standard legal models. When used on pavements, shared paths or in parks, they can create risks for pedestrians and other path users, particularly where riders are travelling at speed or riding in groups.
In Cardiff, the issue has been persistent enough for police and the council to mount repeated joint operations since August 2025. The latest seizure total of 800 vehicles shows that enforcement has become a regular feature of the local response. The involvement of multiple agencies also reflects the difficulty of tackling a problem that sits between road safety, public order and criminal offending.
Prediction for residents
For Cardiff residents, the crackdown is likely to bring short-term reassurance in the areas most affected, especially around the Taff Trail, city centre parks and other shared spaces. It may also lead to more visible police activity and continued vehicle seizures if complaints remain high.
For families, cyclists and pedestrians, especially those using parks and green routes, the impact should be a reduced presence of illegally modified vehicles in the near term. For repeat offenders, the message is likely to be stricter enforcement, with police appearing prepared to continue operations and use arrests, prosecutions and vehicle seizures as deterrents.
