Concerns have been raised about the increased use of electric bikes in South Tyneside, with one senior police officer labelling the vehicles as “the new scourge”. Fears about electric bikes have previously been raised at South Tyneside Council meetings, with some councillors referring to the vehicles as “silent assassins”.
At the most recent meeting of the East Shields and Whitburn Community Area Forum (CAF) on Thursday, November 17, the issue was raised again, this time by neighbourhood police. Concerns included young people using the electric bikes in an anti-social way and putting both themselves and the general public at risk of serious injury.
Sergeant Rob Lloyd, of Northumbria Police, said: “These new super electric ones that go 50mph-60mph are absolutely silent. We’re not hearing them but they’re still causing the same level of disorder, they’re fleeing along the streets and just missing people, they’re riding the wrong way up roads and are still tearing the grass up around all the grassed areas.
