The 'Wild West' pedestrian crossing where Nicky Campbell's daughter got hit by an e-bike is a lawless death trap where riders still flout rules and speed through red lights with impunity

Published: 14:09, 28 June 2026 | Updated: 14:25, 28 June 2026 Two large bright yellow signs stand at the scene where Nicky Campbell’s daughter narrowly escaped with her life after she was mown down by an e-bike rider. But the roadside signs - put up by police to appeal for information - go unnoticed by the constant stream of ‘traffic’ whizzing past the crime scene. Cars were banned from Rye Lane in Peckham during the Covid pandemic and never allowed to return. Instead the street has been turned into what campaigners call 'a Wild West' of e-bike riders and cyclists - many of whom put pedestrians in danger by flouting the rules of the road. The Daily Mail discovered that during the course of a day hundreds of riders - from bike couriers to commuters - simply roared past the scene that days earlier had been caked in blood. We found ‘two wheeled terrors’ routinely breaking the law by brazenly racing through red lights at the notorious crossing where Lilla Campbell was struck. Among them are scores of riders on souped-up e-bikes whose recklessness leaves pedestrians taking their lives in their hands on a daily basis. Matters came to a head in Rye Lane in December last year when an 88-year-old local woman, who was out doing some last minute Christmas shopping, suffered serious head injuries after a hit and run involving an e-bike. Nicky Campbell’s daughter Lilla narrowly escaped with her life after she was mowed down by an e-bike rider at Rye Lane in Peckham, south London Lilla, pictured with her TV and radio presenter father, was left injured after an e-bike hit and run  Cars were banned from Rye Lane during the Covid pandemic and never allowed to return, turning it into what campaigners call 'a Wild West' of e-bike riders and cyclists In December last year an 88-year-old woman suffered serious head injuries after a hit and run involving an e-bike on the same road The callous rider rode off leaving the woman lying in the street with injuries which police described as ‘potentially life-changing’. He has never been caught. It was at 11.13pm on Friday June 19 that Lilla, 26, became the latest victim of this growing menace. During a night out with two of her sisters and a friend, Lilla was left lying seriously injured after a high-powered e-bike ploughed into her as she was attempting to reach the other side of the street via the pelican crossing. Lilla, who works in advertising, was left with blood pouring from gaping wounds as an off duty doctor who was passing-by administered emergency first aid at the scene. Harrowing footage obtained by this newspaper shows her lying on a stretcher as she was treated by paramedics - her arms and face covered in blood and with a bandage around her head. Left with horrific cuts, Lilla’s injuries were so bad there were fears at the scene that she may have been paralysed. Eyewitnesses told how the unidentified rider - who was also injured after being hurled from his machine - fled as the emergency services arrived. Lilla was said to have drifted in and out of consciousness as she was rushed to the accident and emergency unit at nearby King’s College Hospital - where her distraught family waited at her bedside during a frantic night. Perhaps in a bid to help police catch the culprit, Mr Campbell revealed details about the accident the following day. Mr Campbell, who hosts a phone-in show on BBC Radio 5 Live and has four daughters, told his 181,000 followers on X: 'My daughter Lilla was hit by an e-bike last night in Peckham - hopefully there is CCTV.' Describing what had been a 'long and emotional night', Mr Campbell told how his family 'were incredibly lucky' as the incident could have been 'so much worse'. And in a post on his Instagram account, Mr Campbell said of the rider: 'Once he saw the ambulance arrive and the crowd gathering - he scarpered. Her sisters Kirsty and Isla were with her.' In his social media posting Mr Campbell - who is married to former Virgin Radio journalist Tina Ritchie - went on to add how a drunken man had added to the family’s trauma when he exposed himself to Lilla and her companions as she was being treated in A&E. He added: ‘The police were there and he has been arrested. 'The police were magnificent. I spoke to them when I arrived at 3.15am and he is now in custody.’ Mr Campbell - who also hosts the ITV documentary series Long Lost Family - went on to praise those who had cared for Lilla. During a night out with two of her sisters and a friend, Lilla (centre) was left lying seriously injured after a high-powered e-bike ploughed into her He said: ‘We all want to say a massive thank you to our amazing police, the wonderful staff at King's College Hospital - nurses and doctors. From the bottom of our hearts. They were all bloody superb.' Messages of support - including from fellow presenters Rachel Burden, Louise Minchin and Shelagh Fogarty - flooded in. Some highlighted their own horror stories at the hands of rogue e-bike riders while others called for tougher penalties to be introduced. The following day Mr Campbell thanked well wishers, saying: ‘Thank you everybody for some touching posts and thoughts. The girls have loved reading them. So appreciated. ‘We are now all on the sofa and chairs watching Love Island (not my choice!) and having a Chinese takeaway. Tina and I are going with the flow.’ The Daily Mail has now pieced together a detailed account of how events unfolded on the night of the accident. Peckham was once one of London’s least desirable postcodes - notorious for urban decay, gang violence and gun crime. Today it is a vibrant, and somewhat chaotic, neighbourhood with a buzzing nightlife scene that is popular with students and hipsters attracted by a mix of warehouse parties, independent pubs and rooftop bars with panoramic views of the capital. And it was here that Lilla, who lives in east London, headed with younger sisters Isla, 22 and Kirsty, 24. It is an area that Kirsty, a budding actress and singer, is familiar with as she is studying at Mountview - one of the UK’s leading drama schools which is based in Peckham. It is thought the group were returning home and were heading to catch a train at Peckham Rye Station which is just yards from the scene of the accident. They were crossing the road outside an electronics store when Lilla was struck shortly after she stepped into the street, according to eyewitnesses. A source said the offender was on a ‘bulky, souped-up illegal bike’ and suggested that might be why they fled. The source added: ‘He was showing off on the road on the bike before the accident. 'Lilla's friend saw the cyclist coming, swerving all over the road in a crazy way, at high speed.' Eyewitnesses told how the rider was sent flying when he struck Lilla and ended up lying on the road with an arm injury - at first pleading his innocence. Describing the scene, local shopkeeper Akbar Khan said: ‘I was closing up just before it happened. ‘One of my customers who was there said the man was travelling at a very high speed. It was a powerful machine. ‘He hit the girl and he was thrown from his bike and he was hurt as well. He had an injured arm. It was scratches, I think. ‘He was saying the light he went through was green and it was red for the people who were walking. ‘Even if that is true, the bike was not one that could have been a legal one because of the speed he was going at. ‘He was saying it was not his fault but as the ambulance was arriving he quickly got up and got on his bike and rode off. He obviously didn’t want to be there when the police arrived. ‘There are lots of little alleyways there going off in different directions so nobody was really sure where he went.’ Ironically, among the first people to rush to Lilla’s aid in the aftermath of the crash were at least three delivery riders. A large number gather just yards away night after night to make collections from McDonalds which is on the other side of the street. One told the Daily Mail: 'When he hit her, she fell a few feet to the ground. Then I saw the man on the bike stop on the other side of the road and watched as people gathered around the girl. I think he was injured on one arm. 'But then he fled, even before the ambulances arrived.' The man said he had not seen the rider before in the area. Another delivery rider, Ali Hamza, who is originally from Pakistan, said he saw the biker who hit Lilla, describing him as Afro-Caribbean. He added: 'I was shocked to see what happened. I felt really bad.’ Also on the scene was a doctor who was heading home after a night out. In a social media message to Mr Campbell a woman thought to be Sakshi Bansal wrote: ‘My partner is a doctor and we were just leaving the area when we heard the commotion. ‘My partner helped Lilla, ensuring she didn’t move her neck and checking her pulse and conscious level. ’Someone thankfully gave us a cloth to apply pressure on the wound and her friends were also quick to call the ambulance. ‘I spoke to her sister too (Kirsty?) and poor girl was absolutely horrified. ‘We are glad that you all made it home eventually’. Mr Campbell replied: ‘Oh thank you, thank you so much. Please pass my immense gratitude to your partner.’ Another shopkeeper told how the road, which has a 20mph speed limit, had been ‘much safer’ before the authorities banned cars. The man, who asked not to be named, said: ‘During Covid the road was closed to traffic which they said was to allow safe social distancing. ‘It was just people walking for a while but that was a problem for the businesses and it was again reopened just for buses and taxis and cyclists. There is also a three hour window in the morning for delivery drivers. ‘It’s the cyclists who are in charge now. Some are sensible but many just do as they please because there is no-one to stop them. ‘They don’t care about red lights and pedestrians. They race past all day at whatever speed they like. There are bikes, e-bikes, Lime bikes and the ones with heavy motorised wheels that are not even designed from the road. 'Many of the e-bikes are for the people who deliver takeaways. Those are the ones that are the problem because they are fast and heavy. It’s very dangerous. ‘There should be laws to stop illegal bikes being sold and people modifying them and there should be people on the street to police the law.’ Officials figures show the number of people injured by cyclists on pedestrian crossings and pavements has skyrocketed by 60 per cent in the last five years. Tougher laws introduced this year mean cyclists who kill pedestrians through dangerous riding now face life sentences in prison. But Nick Freeman, the lawyer known as Mr Loophole for his success in helping celebrity clients accused of motoring offences, said the legislation is flawed. He said cyclists and e-bike riders are going through red lights and committing ‘tens of thousands of offences every day’ with no means of locating them. And stiffer sentences, he said, merely encouraged offenders to flee the scene of accidents rather than remaining behind to offer potentially life-saving help to their victims. Calling for cyclists to be licensed and subjected to the same laws as other road users, he said: ‘There is one massive piece of the jigsaw missing. It’s a very simple one that is illustrated sadly by Nicky Campbell’s daughter’s case. ‘If you take the number plate off a car and try to locate the driver and hold the driver accountable - you can’t. ‘The reality is that if you don’t plug this gap, there’s no accountability. ‘Significantly, there isn’t even a speed limit for cyclists. There isn’t a drink drive limit, there isn’t a drug drive limit.’ Raising particular concerns about e-bikes, he said: ‘There are places like this that are like the Wild West. A local shopkeeper said the road, which has a 20mph speed limit, had been ‘much safer’ before the authorities banned cars (Pictured: A man riding safely on an e-bike) This year tougher laws were introduced that mean cyclists who kill pedestrians through dangerous riding now face life sentences in prison (Pictured: A man on a bike safely riding in the area) ‘There are people who have an appalling attitude who think the law doesn’t apply to them. They are not going to take responsibility for the behaviour and the hideous consequences they cause. ‘If you look at the statistics, accidents with pedestrians are rising exponentially. ‘When people are satisfied that there’s no accountability, because they’re not going to be traced, they cycle with impunity. ‘An e-bike is a substantial machine that will do you serious, serious damage and it’s happening all the time, as illustrated by the statistics.' Mr Freeman said the rider who mowed down Lilla was likely to evade justice. He said: 'Unless you can actually collar someone at the scene and detain them, there is no effective means to bring them to account.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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