SWANSEA: Tracked from 1,500ft — Sur-Ron rider who sped across SA1 footbridge banned from the roads

An 18-year-old who sped an electric motorbike through Swansea‘s SA1 waterfront — including across a pedestrian footbridge — has been banned from the roads, after a police aeroplane tracked him from above.

Callum Payne, from Port Tennant, was followed by neighbourhood officers assisted by a fixed-wing police aircraft as he rode the Sur-Ron dangerously through the area on the evening of 24 April.

Officers arrested him inside a nearby address, South Wales Police said.

Footage released by the force shows the rider crossing the footbridge, cutting across busy junctions and weaving past traffic as the aircraft’s camera follows him from around 1,500ft.

Payne pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle dangerously, using a motor vehicle without third-party insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

He was handed a community order requiring him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, and was disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for 24 months.

PC Scott Pearson said the teenager had put people in danger as he sped through the district.

“Callum Payne put others’ safety at risk when he sped his illegal e-bike through the SA1 area, including across a pedestrian footbridge,” he said.

“He was a danger to both cars and pedestrians, and is clearly unsuitable to be allowed to use the roads. We are pleased to see that he is now banned from doing so for two years.”

Sur-Rons are powerful electric motorbikes capable of speeds well beyond the legal limit for electric bicycles — and in law they are motor vehicles, meaning they cannot be ridden on roads or public paths without registration, insurance and a licence.

That puts them in a different category from pedal-assist e-bikes, which are limited to 15.5mph and can be ridden without paperwork by anyone aged 14 or over.

That distinction is widely misunderstood: a survey of 1,000 people by insurance comparison site Tiger.co.uk found 42% did not realise that a bike providing motor assistance above 15.5mph is treated as a motor vehicle, needing insurance, registration and a licence.

The same June survey found 61% of Britons think e-bikes are too dangerous — though opinion on banning them outright was split almost evenly, 44% for and 50% against.

The machines have become a regular target for police in Swansea: officers seized 17 e-bikes and made seven arrests during two enforcement days targeting anti-social riding in the city centre last September.

Forces in south and mid Wales have also seized hundreds of illegal e-scooters in recent years, amid concern over their links to crime and road safety.

Air support for Welsh forces is provided by the National Police Air Service, whose fixed-wing aircraft can hold a target in view far longer than officers on the ground — as Payne discovered.