City centre police ready to seize illegal e-scooters in day of action

Police will hold a day of action as part of a clampdown on people riding privately-owned e-scooters in Nottingham city centre.

Neighbourhood officers will be stopping riders and explaining that the use of e-scooters in public areas is illegal unless they are hired as part of a government-approved scheme.

Those found breaking the law will have their e-scooters seized and destroyed. 

The day of action - called Operation Wrangel - will take place on Monday (23 December) and involve two neighbourhood beat teams, comprising PCs and PCSOs, patrolling the streets in search for people riding illegally.

E-bikes that fail to meet the legal requirements for use in public areas will also be seized. Under current laws, e-bikes are legal to use across the country but must not exceed an output of 250 watts or travel faster than 15.5mph.

Nottinghamshire Police has seized over 250 e-scooters in the past three years after they were ridden illegally in public areas, including parks, pavements and roads.

PC Adam Abid, of the Nottingham City Centre neighbourhood team, said privately-owned e-scooters and e-bikes can pose a danger to riders and those around them, which is why officers are committed to tackling the problem. He said:

“E-scooters and e-bikes are a concern for people up and down the country and that includes Nottingham. Locally, we’ve received reports of people having to jump out of the way of riders travelling at high speed in the city centre.

“Clearly that’s unacceptable and that is why we are clamping down of the illegal use of e-scooters and e-bikes with this latest day of action.

“The purpose of this day of action is to engage with riders and educate them on the law around e-scooters and e-bikes.

“In terms of enforcement, we will seize their e-scooter or e-bike and prosecute them if they have committed any criminal offences. E-scooters are classed as motor vehicles under the Road Traffic Act 1988 and so a rider could be prosecuted if they do not have a licence and insurance."

With the festive period now here, PC Abid encouraged people not to buy e-scooters as a Christmas gift. He said:

“While e-scooters might seem like a fun gift idea, the laws around their use are clear. Privately owned e-scooters are illegal to ride in public spaces and so there is no point gifting an e-scooter unless the recipient has access to a large amount of private land.

“Therefore we’d urge everyone to consider alternative gifts and help keep our communities safe.”

For more advice on e-scooter use visit: Advice on e-scooter usage | Nottinghamshire Police.