North Wales Police e-bike and e-scooter seizures rise nine-fold in two years
North Wales Police seized 246 e-bikes and e-scooters last year, nine times the number taken off the roads two years earlier.
Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show seizures across the force area, which covers all of north Wales including Flintshire, rose from 27 in 2023/24 to 90 in 2024/25, then to 246 in 2025/26.
The figures are not broken down by county, so there is no separate total for Flintshire or Deeside.
Most of the machines, 234 in total, were seized last year because they were not registered as motor vehicles.
That covers e-bikes that are too powerful or have been modified.
The force confirmed every machine seized on those grounds also broke the regulations that define a legal e-bike.
Over the three years, the force also recorded 27 seizures following road traffic collisions, 26 under powers covering anti-social use of vehicles, six machines that were stolen and 24 used in crime.
In most cases there is no getting a seized machine back.
North Wales Police said that unless a machine is stolen, all seized e-scooters and modified e-bikes are destroyed.
None are held by the force and none are sold or auctioned.
The figures were released in response to a Freedom of Information request, reference 2026/560, and are correct as at 11 June 2026.
What the law says
An electric bike is legal to ride on the road if it has pedals that move the bike, a motor of no more than 250 watts, and electric assistance that cuts out at 15.5mph.
Anything beyond that stops being a pedal cycle in law and becomes a motor vehicle, which needs registration, insurance and a licence to ride on the road.
Riders of these electrically assisted pedal cycles must be at least 14 years old.
E-scooters are treated differently.
Privately owned e-scooters cannot legally be ridden on public roads, pavements or cycle paths anywhere in the UK.
They are only allowed on private land with the landowner’s permission.
The only e-scooters that can be ridden legally in public are part of government-approved rental trials, which do not operate in north Wales.
A machine that does not meet the rules is classed as a motor vehicle and must have insurance, registration and an appropriate licence.
Concerns about illegal e-bike or e-scooter use can be reported to North Wales Police on the non-emergency 101 number or through the force website.
The rules on riding an electric bike are set out on GOV.UK, and the rules on e-scooters are also published by the government.
Check live fuel prices near you before you set off.
Spotted something? Got a story? Email news (@) deeside.com
NEW: Add Deeside.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Latest News
