Woman hit by e-bike calls for more police action

Sussex Police has launched a new operation to tackle the illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters in response to community concerns and an increase in reported incidents.

In the 12 months up to June, the force received a total of 2,504 reports of the vehicles being ridden illegally - an increase of 53.7% from the 1,629 reports received during the previous year.

E-bikes must meet certain requirements to be legal, while e-scooters cannot be used on public roads unless through an authorised rental scheme.

Among those to have felt the impact of e-bikes is Christina Marchand, who believes the issue is "just as bad" as when an electric bike crashed into her almost two years ago and says police "should take more action".

Marchand, from Whitehawk in Brighton, said she was walking to the shops on 19 October 2024 when she was hit by a 14-year-old boy riding an electric bike on the pavement.

Supt Jo Grantham, the force's head of roads policing, said the operation was being run "to step up our response".

"The illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters continues to be a problem in Sussex, and this is reflected by the number of calls and intelligence reports we have received from the public," she said.

"The vast majority of these reports are related to criminal activity, which is a concern we are continually seeking to address."

Operation Scramble will see officers from the force's neighbourhood policing teams working with the roads policing unit and fatal five unit to provide education and enforcement to crack down on the issue.

Marchand, who suffered broken ribs and a broken wrist in the incident, said the injuries were "extremely painful for quite a few months".

"I'm very nervous when I go out and constantly looking, because you still get them going on the pavement," she said.

Sussex Police said it had conducted an investigation and found that no criminal offence was committed.

The boy was given an "educational intervention" around the use of e-scooters, the force added.

According to Sussex Police, five people were seriously injured in collisions involving an e-scooter in 2026, compared with 11 in 2025.

Three people were seriously injured in collisions involving an e-bike in 2026, with no recorded serious injuries in 2025.

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