Good afternoon all.

Just a few days ago you may remember that I sent out a message regarding the law surrounding E-Scooters, this was the message;

I've previously sent out a post surrounding the laws regarding the use of E-Scooters and this is a reminder about those laws.

In effect, riding an E-Scooter on the road, pavement or any public place is the equivalent of driving a vehicle without insurance, tax and an MOT, whether you agree with it or not, that is the current law.

I know that they appear to be commonplace nowadays where they're being used to commute, go to and from school or just general riding around but if you ride one and you're not on private land with the land owner's permission, then you're running the risk of having the scooter seized, a fine and six penalty points added to your provisional or full driving licence if you have one.

Even if you don't have a driving licence you can still be fined and the scooter seized.

Just today I have had to stop a youth riding one and put it in my vehicle so that I could take it to his mum for safekeeping and politely reminded her about the law.

I know that young people and some adults will think that me and my police colleagues are ‘killjoys’ for taking e-scooters away from those who ride them illegally but as I've said above, whether you agree with it or not, it is the law. However, it is also a huge safety issue too for pedestrians and other road users and of course that of the rider because the one being ridden today was along a fairly narrow pavement alongside a 40 and 60 mph road and one mistake or bump could have thrown the scooter out into the road so if I am a killjoy then so be it because I'd rather be that and have prevented something terrible happening.

I would like to think that any parent/guardian of children who have access to these e-scooters and who know the law about them will heed the law because it's not just a case of points on a licence and/or a potential fine, it's about the safety of your child and the safety of others.

When these scooters are purchased they normally come with guidance about the legalities of riding them which is straightforward, **THEY CAN ONLY BE RIDDEN ON PRIVATE LAND WITH THE LAND OWNER'S PERMISSION**

If an adult is stopped for riding one in the public domain then they take the risk of 6 points being endorsed on their driving licence (if you have one) whether that's a full or provisional licence and a fine and if you don't have a licence you can still be fined and the scooter seized.

Thank you.

Steve.