Moped gang dodge anti-terror barriers on London Bridge to hit pedestrian

Police said a woman received an injury to her leg after being hit by a moped on Wednesday

Pedestrians walk through newly installed barriers on the pavement on London Bridge in London on June 7, 2017.
British police on Wednesday said a 30-year-old man had been arrested following the June 3 terror attack in London which killed seven people and injured 48. / AFP PHOTO / Odd ANDERSEN
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A moped gang managed to dodge anti-terror barriers, put up in between the pavement and the road on London Bridge in the wake of June’s attack, to hit a pedestrian.

It is believed that three mopeds were being pursued by police when the incident happened on Wednesday at 12.40am (3.40am GST).

The woman hit by one of the mopeds was taken to hospital after receiving an injury to her leg.

Measures designed to prevent vehicles from intentionally mounting pavements were set up after the London Bridge attack in June, in which eight people died. Barriers and bollards were established on both London Bridge and Westminster Bridge.

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A witness at the scene said one of the mopeds appeared to deliberately hit the woman, who is reported to be a 51-year-old German.

They told the Times: “I was walking up the road then suddenly I heard noise and lights.

“I thought it was a car and it was driving very fast. Then when it rode past I thought they were just playing. Then I saw them deliberately swiftly turn and hit the woman. It was a shocking experience.”

City of London police confirmed three mopeds had mounted the pavement on London Bridge, hitting a pedestrian, and called for information from anyone who had witnessed the incident.

A spokesman said: “We are aware of an incident that took place this morning at approximately 12.40am, whereby three mopeds mounted the east pavement travelling south bound on London Bridge.

“A pedestrian was hit and received an injury to her leg, and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

“The City of London Police is investigating this incident and anyone with information is asked to contact 101.”

London has seen a big increase in the number of moped-enabled offences taking place in the city this year.

The Metropolitan Police said 8192 offences took place in the first five months of 2017, in comparison with a total of 9,097 reported in the whole of 2016.

An emergency summit is set to take place chaired by ministers to crackdown on moped crime.