Lime bikes will not be banned from Brent – but the borough’s fleet will be slashed by a third.

The bike hire company has reached an agreement with Brent Council after it was threatened with a borough-wide ban.

Earlier this month, Lime was told that it would have to remove its dockless bikes before November if it continued to ignore safety concerns regarding poorly parked and abandoned bikes.

In a bid to fend off the ban, the operator quickly agreed to fund and install an initial 200 parking bays by next July – but Brent Council asked for further concessions.

It has now been revealed this afternoon (October 31) that Lime can continue to operate in Brent, less than 12 hours before the ban was due to come into effect.

Under the terms of the deal, the hire company has agreed to slash the size of its fleet in the borough by a third, which will reduced the number of bikes from 750 to 500.

Bikes will also be banned from areas of the borough where there have been repeated problems with parking in the past.

Busy hotspots around Wembley Stadium and Wembley High Road will see bikes limited by speed controls.

A newly created email address will allow people to report inappropriately parked bikes. Lime has been told that it must remove these bikes within two hours.

There will also be an increase in the number of Lime cyclist patrollers and parking wardens in the borough.

Cllr Krupa Sheth, Brent cabinet member for environment and enforcement, said the council had managed to “squeeze a number of really important improvements out of Lime”.

She added: “This council supports active travel, but safety is non-negotiable.

“We hope that we have turned a corner with Lime and expect residents to see real, noticeable improvements from now on. We will hold Lime to these new commitments to ensure they are honoured."

Hal Stevenson, director of policy at Lime, UK, said: “Our significant investment in this network demonstrates our commitment to working alongside Brent to provide long-term solutions that address community concerns, while continuing to support their efforts to ensure more journeys in the borough are taken by bike.

 “We are listening to our council partners and taking action to manage the record demand for our e-bikes responsibly.”

People in Brent can report badly parked bikes to Lime directly on their website and app, or through a new email Brent@li.me and by calling 0800 808 5223.