Over 20 illegal vehicles seized in afternoon of action in Ellesmere Port

Officers deployed across Ellesmere Port as part of Operation Lawmaker have seized a total of 23 illegal vehicles in just one afternoon of proactive activity.

On Tuesday 16th June, Cheshire Constabulary’s Motorcycle Team were deployed across Ellesmere Port as part of Operation Lawmaker.

The operation followed reports from concerned residents relating to the disruption caused through illegal and anti-social riding of e-bikes and motorised vehicles across the town.

With the assistance of colleagues from the North West Air Service, officers were monitored the roads from the ground and the sky to ensure that vehicles travelling through Ellesmere Port were being driven safely and legally.

While the vast majority of motorists were found to be driving within the law, officers identified a number of road users on illegally adapted pedal cycles and e-scooters, which cannot be insured and are not road legal.

Between 2pm and 6pm, the officers seized a total of 23 vehicles, that are soon set to be crushed, permanently removing them from our communities.

In addition to the seizures, officers also issued a several road traffic reports to motorists found to be driving without due care and attention, not stopping for red lights and having insecure loads.

Chief Inspector Daniel Reynolds, of Ellesmere Port Local Policing Unit, said:

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the officers both on the roads and in the air for their efforts that saw a total of 23 illegal vehicles seized in just four hours.

“We recognise how disruptive the use of illegal e-bikes, e-scooters, and dangerously ridden off-road vehicles are to our residents of Ellesmere Port, so following the concerns raised to us by our local communities, our colleagues from the Motorcycle Team took immediate action against those using our roads as their own personal racetracks.

“Last year, officers working under Operation Lawmaker surpassed 400 seizures of these vehicles and, as we move into the summer months with more people expected to be out and enjoying the sunshine, we will continue our high-visibility patrols in hotspot areas at key times across our town.”