Lime bikes block the pavement in Euston Road [Simon Lamrock]

A ELECTRIC bike firm admits it has a problem with riders flouting its rules by hacking the mechanism to use the bikes without power, leading to many being dumped in prohibited places.

Global operators Lime has come under fire for the number of bikes blocking pavements and dumped in roads and parks despite measures supposedly in place to prevent it.

Lime Bikes left across pavements in Somers Town [Simon Lamrock]

There have been reports of young people using the tampered bikes to get to school and riding around streets in the evening. Lime has a contract with the council that means its electric bikes can be hired in Camden but they must be left in designated bays after use.

The company said it was “aware of a limited issue related to unlocked bikes being ridden without power, and have now identified a hardware solution to prevent it”.

Photographer Simon Lamrock, who lives in Euston, said he had a bad knee injury after knocking into a Lime Bike on the pavement, adding: “Over the next few days and months I noticed a sharp rise in Lime bikes on Camden’s pavements.

“Some are left two-by-two at road junctions, others in neat rows beside pedestrian crossings, or singly, right in the middle of footpaths.”

With an assault course of hurdles developing for pedestrians, Mr Lamrock has taken hundreds of photos of the bikes in recent weeks and wants the company to do more to ensure bikes are being properly returned to the bays after use

He said: “The solution is simple: to park the bikes in one of the many dockless cycle hire bays provided by Camden Council.”

The New Journal is aware of walk through-style online tutorials and web forums which show how a bike’s battery and tracking devices can be circumvented using an innovative mix of grinding, bluetooth adapters and coding.

It appears, however, the scamsters have a problem with re-charging hacked lime bike batteries after they naturally run out.

The company says riders are to blame for most of the bikes that are left in the street, adding that they are encouraging them to “park like your gran is watching”.

The Lime Bike app now asks riders to take a photo when they park up but online forums riders say nothing happens if photos are not submitted.

A Lime spokesperson added: “Our e-bikes in Camden must be picked up and dropped off in designated parking bays, which can be found via the ‘P’ signs in our app, and users who don’t observe these parking rules will receive a fine.”

The company added that measures in place include GPS-base no parking zones and an increased workforce to retrieve obstructive bikes faster.

“Lime also has extensive measures in place to prevent our bikes from being tampered with, this includes wheel locks, tamper alarms, and enhanced cybersecurity for our cloud operations system”, the spokesperson added.

Town Hall environment chief Cllr Adam Harrison said companies “needed to do more to ensure compliance” adding that there were almost 200 bays in Camden reserved for the bikes to be parked in.

But he added that e-bikes were “helping people get about in a more sustainable way, one that is better for the environment, producing less air pollution and no carbon emissions”.