A push bike seen being ridden by kids in Honiton has been confiscated by police after it was found to have been turned into a makeshift motorcycle.
The black bicycle was abandoned in the Butts Close area of Honiton after kids were spotted riding a ‘bike that sounded like a lawnmower’ nearby.
Police were called and spotted the black bike dumped in the hedge, with no one admitting it was their property.
When the bicycle was last week picked up by police it was found to have been fitted with an engine, a taped-on fuel tank attached to the bike frame, and its pedals removed.
East Devon police said it was illegal to ride the modified bicycle on public roads or pavements.
And anyone admitting ownership of the seized bike must show the motor vehicle is properly taxed, insured, and legal to drive before it can be returned.
Police confiscated this dumped bicycle after it was found with a makeshift fuel tank and engine.
Photo: D&C Police.
An East Devon police team spokesperson said: “It was found abandoned in a hedge with no one taking ownership of it, or any knowledge of it or it’s rider.
“This bike has been modified to house a two-stroke engine and a petrol tank, with the pedals removed and the rear wheel now fixed. By UK law, this now makes it a ‘motor cycle’.
“As this documentation is obviously unobtainable on this type of vehicle, it is therefore illegal on UK roads and public places.”
They added: “From a safety perspective, this petrol tank is precariously gaffer taped to the frame in an area quite close to where some delicate areas of the body lay while seated on the bike. We can only imagine the injury potential were this to fall off and onto the spark plug and heat source of the engine below.”
Police were called to the Butts Close area of Honiton on March 26 after a member of the public reported kids riding a noisy bike.
Officers seized a bike dumped in a hedge, finding it had been modified. Police said it was illegal to ride on UK roads and in public places.
