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Very high energy electron (VHEE) beams have been proposed as an alternative radiotherapy modality to megavoltage photons; they penetrate deeply without significant scattering in inhomogeneous tissue because of their high relativistic inertia. However, the depth dose distribution of a single, collimated VHEE beam is quasi-uniform, which can lead to healthy tissue being overexposed. This can be largely overcome by focusing the VHEE beam to a small spot. Here, we present experiments to demonstrate focusing as a means of concentrating dose into small volumetric elements inside a target. We find good agreement between measured dose distributions and Monte Carlo simulations. Focused radiation beams could be used to precisely target tumours or hypoxic regions of a tumour, which would enhance the efficacy of radiotherapy. The development of new accelerator technologies may provide future compact systems for delivering these focused beams to tumours, a concept that can also be extended to X-rays and hadrons. Very high energy electrons (VHEE) penetrate deeply in tissues and can provide an alternative to photon irradiation for tumour treatment. Using VHEE beams at CERN Linear Electron Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) focused into a water phantom, the authors demonstrate on-axis dose enhancement at a depth of 5–6 cm, proving that such beams can produce dose concentration to small volume elements, hence limiting the effect on adjacent healthy tissues if used for radiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]