London Boroughs Seize Over 3,300 Ebikes This Year Amid Rising Complaints Over Blocked Paths

London councils have seized at least 3,393 hazardously parked or abandoned ebikes so far this year, according to a Guardian investigation, a figure that is 23% higher than the total number seized during all of 2025.

The investigation found that hire bike operators are facing mounting pressure to address complaints that their vehicles are littering streets and blocking pavements across the capital.

According to the findings, more than 3,000 badly parked ebikes have been removed by London boroughs this year, prompting frustration among residents and pedestrians who say the bikes create obstructions on footpaths.

Operators of the hire schemes have attributed the problem to a lack of adequate parking infrastructure for the bikes, the investigation reported. Councils, meanwhile, have said the absence of centralized regulation governing ebike operations across the city has made it difficult to manage the issue consistently.

The rise in seizures this year compared with 2025 suggests the scale of the problem has grown, according to the reported figures, even as calls intensify for hire companies to take greater responsibility for how their bicycles are parked and managed once rented out to users.

The Guardian's investigation did not specify which companies or boroughs accounted for the largest numbers of seizures, though it noted that operators face growing calls to prevent their bicycles from obstructing streets and pavements.