Chinese start-up Mobike loses more than 200,000 bikes

In 2018, it pulled out of Manchester after a series of incidents.

In China, thousands of shared bikes have ended up in huge scrapheaps, leading to questions about whether there is demand for them.

Mobike also pulled out of Newcastle and Gateshead, after some bikes were dumped in the River Tyne.

Investors have backed dockless bike companies with hundreds of millions of pounds, but the business model for them has repeatedly been called into question.