Food delivery turf wars: Riders reveal how they face violent threats, have tyres slashed and even get scooters torched by rivals working on the same patch in London

  • Fast food delivery drivers are locked in a violent turf war as rival moped riders have clashed over work on their patch
  • Gangs from different countries are fighting over the lucrative business in London
  • In the latest incident a female driver from Brazil had her bike torched by a rival 
  • She foiled a plot three weeks earlier to steal her scooter by two men who were jealous of the work she was getting
  • A driver revealed there is tension between rivals from Afghanistan and Brazil at McDonald's restaurants in north London
  • Afghan said his tyre was slashed with a screwdriver by a competitor from Brazil 
  • Are you a fast food delivery driver...? Email tips@dailymail.com 

Fast food delivery drivers are locked in a violent turf war as rival moped riders clash over work on their patch, MailOnline can reveal. 

Gangs from different countries are fighting over the lucrative business in London

A driver from Afghanistan said his front tyre was slashed with a screwdriver by a driver from Brazil, who had started collecting deliveries from a McDonald's restaurant he worked from.

In the latest sickening incident in the growing feud a female Uber Eats rider from Brazil had her scooter set alight by a competitor outside another McDonald's restaurant in North London.

Speaking to MailOnline, the 39-year-old woman said she had a minor disagreement with a fellow Uber Eats driver who returned an hour later and torched her moped.

'He came out of the McDonald's and I ticked him off about his behaviour,' she said. 'He was being aggressive and so I called the police because he was harassing me and he warned me that he'd make my life hell. 

A female delivery driver from Brazil who is 39 has told how her scooter was set alight by a rival Uber Eats delivery driver at a McDonald's restaurant in Stonebridge, north London

A female delivery driver from Brazil who is 39 has told how her scooter was set alight by a rival Uber Eats delivery driver at a McDonald's restaurant in Stonebridge, north London

The Brazilian Uber Eats driver showed MailOnline these images of her burnt out scooter following the arson attack by a rival driver
The woman said she ticked off a rival driver about his behaviour last Thursday and he returned an hour later and set fire to her moped

The woman said she ticked off a rival driver about his behaviour last Thursday and he returned an hour later and set fire to her moped

The other moped user can be seen lighting a match
The lit match is then thrown onto the moped

Other drivers were said to have been jealous of the woman, originally from Brazil, a prolific worker, who got a lot of orders and received regular good reviews on her account 

The attack at a McDonald's restaurant in Stonebridge came three weeks after she foiled a plot by two Brazilian riders to steal her bike because they felt she was 'stealing' orders from them

The attack at a McDonald's restaurant in Stonebridge came three weeks after she foiled a plot by two Brazilian riders to steal her bike because they felt she was 'stealing' orders from them

 'He got onto his moped and rode off and I thought that was the end of it.

'But after an hour, some of my friends came running into the McDonald's to tell me that he had come back and was pouring petrol all over my bike. 

'As I came out I managed to film him on my phone just as he lit the match. My bike went up in flames in seconds, there was nothing I could do. 'He then rode off again and hasn't been seen since. I think he's in hiding. 

'But because the police haven't found him yet, I'm worried he could come after me, or follow me back from work.  

'I don't want to carry on working for Uber Eats. It's not worth the stress.'      

Other drivers were said to have been jealous of the woman, originally from Brazil, a prolific worker, who got a lot of orders and received regular good reviews on her account.

She was apparently targeted by one of her countrymen who was jealous of her success rate.

The attack came just three weeks after she foiled a plot hatched by two other Brazilian riders to steal her bike because they felt she was 'stealing' orders from them.

She said: 'A friend of mine overheard a couple of guys talking and they were saying that I was taking work from them. 

'They were particularly annoyed because I was a woman and felt that because I had two phones I was able to get more business. 

'These two riders said that if I continued to take work from them, they'd steal my bike. 

'I told my husband and he confronted them and said that if they went ahead with the theft, we'd go to the police. They backed down and said everything was ok.' 

Uber Eats delivery rider Jafir Noorzai (pictured), 25, originally from Afghanistan, said his bike was damaged by a Brazilian rival who stabbed his front tyre

Uber Eats delivery rider Jafir Noorzai (pictured), 25, originally from Afghanistan, said his bike was damaged by a Brazilian rival who stabbed his front tyre

She added: 'I know that there is also hostility between Brazilian Uber Eats riders and Asian riders over business. 'But as far as I know, this rivalry rarely erupts into serious violence.'

Shocking footage of her Honda SH125i being set ablaze has been posted onto Facebook and the victim has told MailOnline she now lives in fear.

Police are treating the attack, which happened last Thursday, as arson but have yet to make an arrest. 

Speaking of growing tension between food delivery drivers, Simon Kempton, the lead on operational policing for the Police Federation, said: 'We've had reports where fierce competition among takeaway delivery is straying into criminality. My colleagues will clamp down on this and will not tolerate it'  

A Facebook group which posted the video claim there is a 'massive problem' with illegal immigrants working as drivers.  

Most Uber Eats workers who pick up deliveries from the Stonebridge McDonald's are from Brazil.

Recently they have started to collect from another McDonald's two miles away in Wembley and the increased competition has sparked isolated clashes.

Delivery rider Emerson Zerbinatti, 42, originally from Brazil's capital Brasilia, said: 'At the Stonebridge, the riders are usually Brazilian whereas the ones who pick up from Wembley Central are mostly Pakistani or Afghan.

'I don't tend to use that branch. When I do I always make sure I'm polite and friendly to the other riders and I have no issues.

'But I know of other Brazilians who've had problems in Wembley, they've been intimidated if they've had to pick up orders from there.' 

Uber Eats delivery rider Jafir Noorzai, 25, originally from Afghanistan said his bike was damaged by a Brazilian rival who stabbed his front tyre.

Showing mobile phone footage of the aftermath of the attack, Jafir said: 'I was parking my bike in a side street round the corner from the McDonalds in Wembley Central and a Brazilian guy rode right up to me and stabbed my front tyre with a screwdriver.

'He said something to me in Portuguese but I couldn't understand what he was saying.

Mobile phone footage shows the aftermath of the attack where rider Jafir's moped tyre was stabbed with a screwdriver
Video shows the argument that took place after Jafir's scooter tyre was punctured by a rival driver

Mobile phone footage shows the aftermath of the attack where rider Jafir's moped tyre was stabbed with a screwdriver by a rival apparently from Brazil, according to Afghan Jafir

A delivery driver told MailOnline that there is tension between drivers from Brazil and Afghanistan who pick up fast food from a McDonald's restaurant in Wembley, north London

A delivery driver told MailOnline that there is tension between drivers from Brazil and Afghanistan who pick up fast food from a McDonald's restaurant in Wembley, north London 

'His friend rode over to me a moment or two later and apologised and said that it was mistaken identity and that I'd been targeted by accident.

'I told him that his friend shouldn't go around doing things that hamper someone's livelihood. 

'This happened in January but there hasn't been any arrests.

'I don't tend to pick up deliveries from Stonebridge. I stick to the Wembley area.

'There are a lot of Brazilian riders who use that branch. Over here there's a few of them but it's mainly riders of Afghanistan and north Pakistani origin.' 

Last month a motorist was beaten up by takeaway delivery riders when a protest for workers rights descended into violence.

Deliveroo moped riders ganged up and began punching and kicking a white van driver, who suffered cuts and bruises.

He had complained their protest was blocking a road in Islington, North London.

In Manchester, a gang of around ten youths targeted a Just Eat delivery driver, viciously attacking him before stealing his bike and phone.

The victim was dropping off a KFC order last November when he was set upon by the thugs.

That incident came as some Deliveroo riders refused to work in certain parts of London after a spate of acid attacks last year.

The food delivery company said 71 of its drivers had refused jobs in London and seven have been reassigned to different locations after raising concerns about their safety.

A Deliveroo rider was among those attacked during a rampage through Hackney in East London last July that saw five people injured within 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, Immigration officials raided a north London McDonald's at the start of this year after a tip-off that delivery riders were working there with false documents.

It followed an investigation that found delivery jobs for Deliveroo and Uber Eats were being traded online. 

Workers who had passed vetting checks offered to rent out their accounts for up to £100 a week, allowing others to make food deliveries without facing criminal record, right-to-work, insurance or passport checks.

An Uber Eats spokeswoman said: 'This kind of behaviour is totally unacceptable. 

'There is no place for violence or intimidation of any kind in our communities and we are currently investigating the alleged incidents. 

'We will also work closely with the Metropolitan Police to assist with any investigation.' 

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