Dangerous e-bike riders âputting town under siegeâ
People in a south Wales town say they feel âunder siegeâ from dangerous e-bike riders.
Residents complain that there have been regular near-misses, and one councillor believes it is only a matter of time before someone is killed.
Some business owners in Tredegar in Blaenau Gwent have said they are thinking of leaving because of the problem, and BBC Wales has heard similar frustrations from other communities in the area.
Gwent Police said it has launched an âintelligence-led, targetedâ operation in the county tackling crime, as well as anti-social behaviour, which has fallen by more than a third.
Officers are said to be tackling problems with methods such as using drones that can see in the night.
The forceâs most recent Operation Greyhawk activity saw 16 arrests for a number of offences, more than 60 people and many vehicles stopped and searched. In addition, drugs and vehicles were seized.
Outside the Tredegar Arms, a pub and hotel in the centre of town, restaurant supervisor Michelle Grierson, looking up and down the street where bikers do wheelies, said: âThey do it outside the police station as well.

âThey wheelie spin up the road and round the roundabout and theyâre up and down.
She said it could feel âquite frighteningâ for guests, including from countries such as the Netherlands and France, who were abused by people on e-bikes.
Local people said e-bike riders raced around the town clock, which is on a roundabout in the middle of the town, ignoring a road sign that expressly forbids it.
They also said riders, wearing balaclavas and not helmets, did wheelies in the middle of the road, and mounted pavements.

âThey go around the roundabout nine times out of 10 the wrong way,â said Tredegar councillor Haydn Trollope.
âI honestly believe that itâs only by the grace of God at the moment that people havenât got killed,â he said.
âThere have been a number of minor accidents, near-misses.

âItâs a town under siege,â said one man in the street, and others agreed with that. BBC Wales has heard similar frustrations from other communities in the area.
There is now concern that some people may take the law into their own hands and tackle the riders themselves.
Mr Trollope said: âIâve been told by a number of people, if I catch themâŠâ
âI say, please let the police do their job,â he said. âIâve got great respect for the police, but in this case I feel their hands are tiedâ.

The councillor said there had been an âinfluxâ of electric bikes in the last year.
âThese electric bikes are on the pavements, Iâve got two or three people thatâs come to me recently that have been hit by themâ.
He said there was an incident with a woman in her 70s recently.
âA youth on an electric bike went through town, a lady was coming out of a shop, obviously she didnât look to see if there were any bikes on the pavement â they went past and smacked her in the arm,â he said.
âLuckily this lady didnât go down,â he said.
He said he did not blame police, and claimed that âtheir hands are tied â they feel as frustrated as I doâ.
However, police said allegations of collisions involving e-bikes had not been reported to them.
âItâs getting worse and worseâ
There are essentially two types of electric powered bike â generally, lower-powered bikes are considered equivalent to pedal cycles, while higher-powered bikes are considered equivalent to motorcycles.
However, some electric bikes that appear to be similar to pedal bicycles can be altered to be made much more powerful.
Riders on higher-powered bikes must wear a helmet and have a licence.
Police forces are trying to fight back, checking licences, removing high powered e-bikes from the streets and using drones to trace problem riders.
In October 2023 an e-bike rider collided with a pedestrian in the south Wales town of Port Talbot and then fell from his bike.
An 18-year-old admitted dangerous driving and was sentenced to 14 months in a young offenders institution, and given a 19-month riding ban.

Some people are so concerned that they are thinking about shutting their businesses and leaving the town, according to Tredegar mayor and business owner Kevin Phillips.
âIn my opinion itâs getting worse and worse,â said Mr Phillips.
âYou see them riding through town at silly speeds, on the pavement,â he said.
âWhen weâre speaking to local businesses, theyâre ready to pull out of town â because itâs going to be harmful to their businesses, their clients, and anybody walking to the shop,â he said.
He is also concerned that it is affecting the regeneration of the town.
âItâs awfully difficult to bring in business and support businesses, and see businesses thriving because of this menace,â he said.
âIâve spoken to many business owners who say their businesses are under threat because of the scramblers and the quad bikes and the e-bikes flying through on the pavement,â he said.
âItâs a nuisance to businesses and our community,â he said.
A Gwent Police spokesperson: âIn Blaenau Gwent specifically, our team has launched Operation Greyhawk to address crime and anti-social behaviour by using a range of tactics and an intelligence led, targeted approach.
âDue to the efforts of officers, partners and information from the public that inform our operations, we have seen anti-social behaviour reduce by more than a third in Blaenau Gwent.
âTo help us build a picture of e-bike use in Tredegar, we encourage people to start reporting issues they are experiencing in the same way in which they do with off-road bikes.â