Police had to stop a cyclist riding an e-bike down the M25 in Hertfordshire.

Herts Police have confirmed they were called to reports that a man had been riding a push bike on the hard shoulder heading clockwise towards South Mimms services at around 2.17pm on Sunday (January 7).

It is unclear when the rider had got on the M25, but when officers from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire (BCH) Road Policing Unit arrived at the scene, he was stopped and his bike was seized.

Not only is it illegal to ride a bike on a motorway, but the specific e-bike had a power output of over 250 watts and a maximum speed of 22mph, police said.

According to regulations, the maximum output that can be ridden on UK roads is 250 watts and motors should not be able to propel the bike faster than 15.5mph.

BCH Road Policing Unit Sergeant Jamie Cooper said: “I would like to remind everyone that it is illegal and unsafe to ride any type of pedal cycle on the motorway.

“Some pedal cycles like the one stopped by our officers are also illegal on any road in the United Kingdom, due to them falling outside of the EAPC (Electrically assisted pedal cycles) regulations.”