The charity Crimestoppers Scotland has launched a new campaign appealing for information about the dangerous and illegal use of off-road motorbikes and other mechanically propelled bikes across Scotland.
There has been rising concerns and reports from communities across Scotland over the illegal use of off-road bikes and other mechanically propelled bikes including mopeds, e-bikes and e-scooters.
Complaints often centre around off-road bikes becoming a threat to the public as the bikes are ridden recklessly in residential areas, town centres, on pavements and in green spaces – with no concern from the riders for their own safety or that of the public.
Crimestoppers spoke to people in Scotland who has been directly affected by dangerous and illegal use of off-road bikes:
A Farmer in Dumfries told us his fields had been ripped up overnight, costing thousands in repairs and increased security costs.
An elderly lady in Edinburgh almost stepped in front of a bus to prevent a bike on the pavement from crashing into her.
In February Whinhill Golf Club in Greenock experienced extensive damage to the greens and fairways.
Angela Parker, National Manager, Crimestoppers Scotland, said: “We heard from many people who felt scared and threatened by the increased use of illegal off-road bikes. This illegal activity also damages the environment and heritage, taking years to recovers and costing thousands to repair.
“Our campaign aims to support communities in reporting anonymously to our charity and providing information on where people can safely and legally enjoy riding their bike.”
Victims and Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown, said: “I’m pleased to support this important campaign.
“Using off-road vehicles illegally is dangerous, anti-social and can cause huge disruption to residents in local communities as well as causing damage to parks, playing fields and the natural environment.
Crimestoppers enables individuals to report crime anonymously and these reports help the police to tackle this crime. Together, we can make a real difference.”
Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “These bikes are causing untold damage and misery in our community, damaging public and private property and leaving residents feeling scared and intimidated, which is simply unacceptable.
“Areas like Grieve Road have been particularly affected by the rise in off-road bikes and the course at Whinhill Golf Club, which the council owns, has also been damaged so there is a cost to the taxpayers to repair the fairways and greens, not to mention the inconvenience caused for golfers and staff.
“As with most things, the authorities need the help of the public to tackle this problem by reporting illegal and anti-social activity and Crimestoppers is a way in which people can do that and do it completely anonymously.”
Useful information includes:
Who is riding them illegally and what they were wearing?
The names of those responsible for putting the public and themselves in danger.
Where are they being stored?
The exact location, date and time the bike/s were seen?
Anything distinctive: colour, make, number plate details.
If you own or ride an off-road bike or other mechanically propelled bike, (that includes e-bikes and e-scooters), you must ensure that you comply with UK law. Our campaign webpage gives useful information on all manner of bikes.
To pass on information about the illegal use of off-road bikes completely anonymously, visit the Crimestoppers website (Crimestoppers-uk.org). You can fill in a safe and secure form or you can call the 24/7 UK-based Contact Centre on 0800 555 111. Young people can also report crime via the charity’s youth service website Fearless.org.
Please note: With Crimestoppers-uk.org and Fearless.org, computer IP addresses are never traced and no-one will ever know you contacted them.
For telephone calls to Crimestoppers via 0800 555 111, there is no caller line display, no 1471 facility and calls have never been traced.
A consultation on Firework Control Zones (FCZ) for autumn 2025 in Edinburgh is now underway.
Earlier this year interested communities were invited to apply for their area to become a FCZ. Consultation participants will now be able to give feedback on nine potential FCZs in:
Niddrie
Sighthill/Broomhouse
Gracemount
Moredun
Calton Hill
Seafield
Balerno
Corstorphine
Longstone
Consultation responses will help form plans for future FCZs, which will be reported to Culture and Communities Committee in August.
Councillor Margaret Graham, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “We want people to be able to enjoy Bonfire Night safely and responsibly, and introducing FCZs is one way we can support communities to do that.
“As well as drawing on experience from last year’s FCZs, this consultation will help us to better understand the impact on residents as we approach autumn 2025.
“I would encourage all those who are interested to take part in the consultation to help us shape plans for Bonfire Night.”
FCZs were first introduced to support the safe use of fireworks in Edinburgh in 2024, based on assessments from Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and Council data.
These covered Balerno, Calton Hill, Niddrie and Seafield and lessons learned from their operation will be considered in the introduction of future FCZs.
The current consultation will run until 29 July. Take part online.
Officers investigating the violent incidents in the East and West of the country have made two further arrests, bringing the total to 44.
Following the recovery of a firearm in the Roseburn Path area of Edinburgh on Wednesday, 11 June, 2025, a 25-year-old man was subsequently arrested and charged in connection and was due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today, Friday, 13 June.
Officers also executed warrants this morning at addresses in South Queensferry and Edinburgh.
A 22-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with fire-raising of a vehicle on Peacocktail Close in Edinburgh on Friday, 16 May. He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, 16 June.
A 21-year-old man has also been reported to the Procurator Fiscal in connection with wilful fire-raisings at two properties in Glasgow and one in Shotts in April.
A dedicated team of officers from our Specialist Crime Division, with support from local divisions across the country, continue to carry out extensive enquiries to gather vital evidence and reassure the public with intelligence-led patrols.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry said: “Our continued activity and arrests show our commitment to targeting organised crime and bringing those responsible to justice.
“We continue to investigate and follow a number of positive lines of enquiry. The support and response from the public has been excellent, and I am grateful for the assistance given to us and that continued support from local communities is crucial as we progress our enquiries.
“If you know anything that could assist our ongoing investigation, please do the right thing and speak to us.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0562 of Friday, 21 March, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
Incorrectly discarded batteries and electrical devices cause more than 1,200 waste fires every year in the UK – with the number of fires growing by more than 70% year on year.
Total annual cost of battery-related waste fires now in excess of £1bn – threatening vital infrastructure and placing additional burden on taxpayers
Every UK household on average incorrectly discards nearly 6kg of electrical items each year and more than 3,000 batteries are chucked out every minute
New independent research recommends that rolling out council kerbside collections for small electrical devices and batteries across the UK could solve the problem and save more than £6billion associated with battery fires over the coming decade
A coalition representing the waste management sector and local authorities have written to Defra minister, Mary Creagh, calling for urgent policy reform to implement universal kerbside collection of batteries and waste electricals, and to ensure producers of these products pay their fair share for this vital new service
Implementing universal kerbside collections for waste batteries and electricals across the UK could save £6bn over the next decade by increasing recycling and avoiding the costs associated with waste fires.
This was the key finding of independent research conducted by expert consultancy Eunomia for the Environmental Services Association (ESA), published today (30th April 2025), which investigated the costs and benefits of various options for collecting small waste electrical devices and batteries at the kerbside.
Only a quarter (100 of 391) of local authorities currently offer kerbside collection for small mixed waste electric and electronic equipment, which includes devices like old mobile phones, electric toothbrushes, vapes, power tools and toys – but these voluntary services only cover around 23% of households in the UK, and collection methods vary significantly between participating councils.
Because of this lack of convenient and consistent recycling options, waste electrical items, which often contain powerful batteries, are commonly (but incorrectly) discarded in the general rubbish or mixed with other recycling – where they can explode or ignite and pose a significant fire risk.
It is estimated that every household, on average, incorrectly discards nearly 6kg of waste electricals each year – or 155,000 tonnes in total.
Furthermore, Material Focus reports that 1.6 billion batteries were thrown away in 2023/24 in the UK, or 3,000 every minute – with just over a billion of these hidden in electrical devices.
This has contributed to what recycling and waste operators are calling an ‘epidemic’ of battery fires. In 2023, more than 1,200 serious battery-related fires in waste facilities or vehicles were reported and the problem is rapidly growing year on year – with a 70% increase in fires between 2022 and 2023 alone.
The total annual cost of the impacts of battery-related waste fires in the UK is now estimated at more than £1billion. These costs have sky-rocketed from previous estimates, owing to increased frequency of incidents and higher associated costs of the impacts (such as repairs, insurance premiums and public service impacts etc).
The risks posed by battery fires include not just the obvious risks to peoples’ safety but also damage and downtime to essential infrastructure; the loss of valuable recyclable materials, and pollution to water-courses and the wider environment.
In its report, Eunomia recommends that the best way to address this growing epidemic of battery fires is to implement universal kerbside collections of batteries and small waste electrical devices as part of normal council recycling collections – making correct recycling more convenient for all householders, not just those living in councils where collections already happen.
The report suggests that the best cost/benefit balance would be achieved by retrofitting existing refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) with external cages, where possible, to safely store batteries and small waste electricals – collecting them on existing recycling rounds. This would be supported by both national and local communications campaigns, which would be enabled and made more cost-effective by a consistent approach across the country.
If such a scheme were rolled out today, Eunomia estimates that the number of waste fires would drop correspondingly (with anticipated increased compliance levels) from over 700 a year to just over 100, and that the capital expenditure needed to implement the new service would equate to around just 70 pence per household.
Responsibility for this service would continue to fall to local authorities, but the relatively modest additional operational expense could be supported by producers of batteries and electrical devices under a reformed Extended Producer Responsibility regime – which UK Government consulted on in early 2024.
Chairman of the Environmental Services Association, and Chief Executive Officer of Biffa, Michael Topham, said: “The UK is facing a growing epidemic of battery-related waste fires which threatens lives, vital infrastructure and the environment.
“Whether discarded on their own or hidden inside electronic devices, batteries wreak havoc when they are thrown in the wrong bin, but this sadly happens all too often because of a lack of convenient recycling options for householders.
“Eunomia’s report provides clear evidence of the huge benefits of implementing a nation-wide kerbside WEEE and battery recycling scheme – not just for preventing fires and protecting infrastructure but also realising a £6billion economic benefit while supporting a more circular economy for batteries and waste electricals.
“We urge government to commit to rolling out mandatory universal kerbside recycling services for waste electricals and batteries, and to ensure all parties pay their fair share towards delivering them.”
Leyla Lugal, Principal Consultant at Eunomia, adds: “Lithium battery fires are hurting people, the economy, and the environment.
“With the number of electrical products on the market set to rise, this problem will get worse without intervention. The only way to implement change effectively and cost-efficiently is through collective action, ensuring strong communications campaigns and widespread national engagement.
“Some local authorities are already undertaking safer battery collections. This research highlights the wide-ranging benefits of such measures, but to drive real progress, we need policy reform as a catalyst for broader industry and consumer change.”
Jon Hastings, Chair of the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers (NAWDO), said:“Fires in waste collection vehicles and treatment facilities pose a risk to staff working in this critical industry, and are causing operational disruption and higher costs for local authorities.
“It is essential that producers are made responsible for the costs of providing more convenient collection services for batteries and small electrical items to help tackle this growing and dangerous issue, and as such NAWDO joins with the ESA in urging the Government to bring forward the proposed reforms to WEEE regulations as a matter of urgency.”
Councillor Richard Wilkins, Lead Member for Transport and Waste at Somerset Council, said: “Collection of batteries from the kerbside is positive for both our residents and the environment.
“Batteries are becoming more prominent in the things we use everyday. Introducing the collection of batteries and small electricals was a simple way to make sure the right thing was done with them.
“We know Somerset residents are keen to recycle, our recycling rates are in the top 10% in England and more than 100 tonnes of small batteries and electricals were collected from the kerbside last year.”
James Kelly, CEO of the British Metals Recycling Association, said: “The increase in the number of fires across the waste industry is deeply concerning. Be they caused by waste electricals and electronic equipment or orphan lithium-ion batteries, urgent action clearly needs to be taken.
“The best way to tackle this is by introducing a kerbside collection scheme, which would make it easier and simpler for the householder to recycle these items.
“However, this would need to be supported by a national communications campaign to educate householders about the dangers of the incorrect disposal of WEEE and orphan batteries.”
Toni McNamara, Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) Executive Director, said:“While there is no consensus on local authority-operated collections from LARAC membership, we strongly support producer-funded battery and small WEEE collection schemes, and any initiatives focused on reducing the risk of battery fires.”
Detectives investigating a number of linked incidents in the East and West have arrested and charged eight people in the past week as officers take action across Scotland.
This brings the total number of arrests in connection with this investigation to 20.
On the evening of Wednesday, 23 April, 2025, a 16-year-old male youth and a 20-year-old man were arrested and charged in connection with five incidents of attempted murder and one of culpable and reckless fire-raising.
This follows a series of fire-raisings that have taken place across Glasgow in recent weeks. Both are due to appear in Glasgow Sheriff Court on Friday, 25 April.
On Thursday, 24 April, 2025, officers executed warrants at two properties in South Queensferry. Firearms were seized from both addresses. Two men, aged 36 and 38, have been arrested and charged in connection with firearms offences. Both men are due to appear in Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Friday, 25 April.
These are in addition to four other arrests across the country in recent days.
Shortly after 2.35am on Saturday, 19 April, 2025, a vehicle failed to stop for officers in the Robroyston area of Glasgow following disruption activity. The car then left the scene before being abandoned on an offroad track near to Chryston a short time later.
Two men, aged 23 and 24, were arrested and charged in connection with conspiracy and a number of road traffic offences, all related to serious and organised crime. Both appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Tuesday, 22 April.
On Wednesday, 23 April, 2025, a 38-year-old man was arrested and charged in Edinburgh in connection with reset of a stolen vehicle, theft of fuel, road traffic offences, culpable and reckless behaviour and being in possession of weapons.
He was due to appear in Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday – Thursday, 24 April.
A 16-year-old male was also arrested and charged with reset of a stolen vehicle and culpable and reckless behaviour. He was due to appear in Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday (Thursday, 24 April).
A dedicated team from our Specialist Crime Division is working alongside divisional officers to gather hundreds of pieces of evidence and build solid cases against those responsible for these targeted attacks.
Meanwhile, local officers have been carrying out intelligence-led patrols to disrupt the activities of criminals and build reassurance in our communities.
Detective Chief Superintendent David Ferry said: “The arrests over the past week highlight the ongoing work that officers have been doing to target those responsible for these attacks.
“While we believe these incidents are linked to rival groups who are targeting each other, I want to make it clear this violence will not be tolerated.
“As well as carrying out these days of action and disruption activities, there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes, including exploring forensic opportunities and analysis of digital devices.
“While this may not be as visible, please be assured we are working tirelessly to build cases and are following a number of significant lines of enquiry.
“We have had a good response to our appeals and I want to thank the public for their help and information so far.
“The support of our communities is absolutely vital when it comes to tackling serious organised crime, preventing violence and getting justice for victims. Your information really can make a difference.
“If you know anything about who is responsible for these dangerous and abhorrent acts, please do the right thing and speak to us.”
Anyone who can assist our enquiries is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0562 of Friday, 21 March, 2025.
Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
POSSIBLE LINK TO THIRD INCIDENT NOW BEING INVESTIGATED
The major investigation into the discharge of firearms and associated criminal incidents in Edinburgh is continuing.
A team of detectives, along with specialist and divisional officers, are working on this inquiry. Significant CCTV footage has also been collected which is being scrutinised and officers continue to gather additional information via door-to-door enquiries.
On Saturday afternoon, officers conducted road and vehicle checks in the Ferry Road, Niddrie and Pennywell areas. These road checks will continue as part of the ongoing investigation.
A report of a suspicious fire in Hay Drive today – Sunday, 23 March – is now also being investigated.
Superintendent Paul Gillespie said: “We understand this will be concerning for local communities, but I want to reassure everyone that we are pursuing those involved and are using every tool and tactic at our disposal.
“We are taking strong action to disrupt this criminal activity and a lot of work, which may not always be visible, is ongoing. Additional officers are currently deployed to specifically target criminals and disrupt their activities.
“Extensive enquiries are ongoing into a number of incidents in Edinburgh. From our investigations so far, we believe these are linked to groups who are actively targeting each other.
“The local division and senior management are being provided with support from our national Specialist Crime Division and Operational Support Division.
“We are carrying out additional high-visibility patrols and I would encourage anyone with any concerns to approach these officers.
“We understand the significant impact this has had on the local community and I would like to thank everyone for their help so far.
“Finding those who carried out these reckless acts is paramount. If you know anything that could help, please do the right thing and speak to police.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0562 of Friday, 21 March, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
The city council would like to hear from communities by 31 March about neighbourhoods they would like to be considered for firework control zones this November.
These zones can help reduce noise, stress and littering caused by fireworks.
Sign up for Neighbourhood Watch Scotland free alerts to receive timely local alerts about community safety and crime prevention from Police Scotland, Trading Standards and other partners.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay returns from 29 December 2024 into New Year’s Day, welcoming the world to party into 2025 at the ‘Home of Hogmanay!’
Launching the Edinburgh Hogmanay festival and signalling the start of global New Year celebrations, the Torchlight Procession will take place on 29th December from 18:30 hours from the Meadows.
If you have plans to attend any of the Hogmanay events please make sure to plan ahead , being mindful of weather forecast and travel arrangements.
For all the latest updates and FAQ’s regarding Edinburgh’s Hogmanay please visit:
