Villagers' nights being disturbed by e-bike cheats

TAMPERED-WITH VEHICLES EMIT 'IRRITATING' BEEP

- By GEORGE PALMER-SOADY

AN “irritating” noise associated with tampered-with e-bikes has become a familiar but unwelcome sound for residents of a village bordering the city.

Residents of Colwick, just outside the boundary of where Lime bikes should be ridden, say the vehicles are also being dumped outside the permitted zones.

The e-bikes are only meant to be used within the boundaries of the city, with the exception of Beeston.

The boundaries stretch to Bulwell in the north, Wilford in the south, Bilborough in the west, and Colwick in the east - where villagers say they regularly see the bikes going past the permitted zone.

When the vehicles leave the city, the rider is hit with a fine ranging from £2 to £20, charged to the card used to buy the journey.

But councillors have raised concerns that the rules are too easy to flaunt, arguing there has been a rise in people tampering with the vehicles to avoid paying the fees and fines, enabling them to leave the boundaries.

When unusual activity is picked up on the bikes, they emit a beep - and it’s keeping some residents up at night.