Gwent Police crackdown on illegal e-bikes

Special news report filmed at Eastside Recycling Facility

Wye Valley Group’s Eastside Recycling Facility (ERF) made the ITN headline news on July 10 – for all the right reasons.

Gwent Police are cracking down on the growing use of illegal electric motorbikes – specifically high-powered Surron bikes – that have become the vehicle of choice for drug dealers and thrill-seekers.

Often modified for extreme speeds and used without insurance or registration, these bikes have been recorded travelling at over 50 mph and are increasingly involved in police chases, road accidents, and fires.

Surron bikes, which resemble off-road motorcycles but are marketed as electric light vehicles (ELVs), are often ridden illegally on public roads and footpaths. With rapid acceleration and quiet operation, they can easily outpace police patrols in urban areas, making them especially attractive to criminals seeking to evade capture.

As part of a national initiative to tackle the problem, Gwent Police have been seizing and destroying illegal Surron bikes. Several of these were scrapped at ERF, where national news crews from ITN and FMG were on site to film a special report, which you can see, here:

Cracking down on illegal e-biking: How one police force in Wales is tackling the issue | ITV News

Depollution Manager Wayne Wadley oversaw the process and commented on the wider implications. He said: “I think ITN got what they needed and we enjoyed playing our part and watching the report, which highlights such an important issue.

“These bikes aren’t just dangerous for the people riding them without helmets or licences – they’re a danger to everyone. They are favoured by drug dealers, as their acceleration helps them get away from pursuers.

“They pose a risk to pedestrians, other road users, and our staff when we have to store and handle them.”

The dangers don’t end on the streets. Last month, a fire broke out at Auto-Breakers, when a lithium battery on one of the seized Surron bikes self-ignited during storage. The incident was contained, but it raised serious concerns about the fire hazards these batteries present.

“It is a problem,” Wadley added. “Suppose something like this happened at night, when the reaction time to put out fires is limited? It is something we are increasingly concerned about.”

Wye Valley Group is now reviewing its storage protocols for electric vehicles and batteries, and is urging the public not to buy or modify high-powered bikes like the Surron unless they meet full road safety standards and are legally registered.

With law enforcement stepping up efforts to clamp down on illegal use, and recyclers warning of serious storage risks, the message is clear: Surron bikes may be fast, but they come with very real – and very dangerous – consequences.