Do not give e-scooters for Christmas as they can't be ridden on public roads, urge Northamptonshire Police

People in Northamptonshire are being urged not to buy e-scooters as Christmas presents by police as they are not allowed to be ridden on public roads.

The popularity of e-scooters has grown substantially in recent years with people able to hire them in towns and cities across the world.

In Northamptonshire, e-scooter company Voi is running a 12-month trial which allows users to pay for scooters by the minute via an app.

However, privately-owned e-scooters cannot currently be used on public roads, cycle lanes or pavements - they can only be ridden on private land.

This is because they are classified as Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs) and are subject to all the same legal requirements as other motor vehicles.

Anyone caught riding a privately-owned e-scooter on a public road could get a £300 fixed-penalty notice, six points on their driving licence, if they have one, and have the scooter seized.

PC Kate Rideout, from Northamptonshire Police’s safer roads team, said: “We are issuing this warning early because we know that many people and many parents will be looking to buy e-scooters as Christmas presents and what they may not know is that it is currently illegal to ride them on public roads.

“That means that they cannot be used for anything but riding on private land – you will not be able to use them to commute to workplaces, to travel into town or even to ride outside your house if you do not own the land.

“We know that this fact is not always made clear at the point of purchase by the companies selling these scooters and it is only often mentioned in the small print that people often neglect to read.

"This is why we are issuing this information in the hope that people don’t waste their money buying something they will not be able to use.

“As it stands at this moment in time, riding a privately owned e-scooter on a public road is illegal.

"The government may change this legislation in the future, however, for now, police officers who see one being ridden are duty-bound to uphold the law and you may be issued with a fine and have your scooter seized if you are seen riding one.

“Please, therefore, save yourself some time and money by not buying an e-scooter this Christmas.”