West Devon Police are reminding residents of the borough about the rules regarding the use of e-scooters, following two recent incidents in which scooters have been seized for having been ridden illegally.

The most recent incident occurred the Saturday before last when officers in Tavistock stopped someone riding an e-scooter on the pavement of Plymouth Road near Pixon Lane (pictured above). The scooter was seized under s165(a) Road Traffic Act and the offender reported for various traffic offences. Another scooter was seized on the evening of April 11 in Tavistock town centre and taken to Tavistock Police Station on Abbey Rise.

An information warning issued by West Devon Police states: ‘You are only allowed to ride an e-scooter on private land with the landowner’s permission. It is against the law to ride an e-scooter on public land including pavements, cycle lanes, beach promenades, bridleways or any publicly accessible land such as parks and car parks.

E-scooters are classified as personal light electronic vehicles, meaning they are treated the same as motor vehicles and have to keep to the same legal requirements. If caught, you must stop using the e-scooter on public land immediately. The police can issue you a warning, can seize the scooter and the rider may also be liable for prosecution for traffic offences.

Sergeant for West Devon Police Tom Ottley said: ‘I am not of the opinion that e-scooter use is increasing in West Devon but rather it has got to the stage where there has been enough publicity around the legalities that the public should now be aware that they are illegal. Ignorance to the law isn’t going to be accepted by police as it is the responsibility of any road user to ensure they are compliant with the law in terms of licencing, insurance and other documentation as is the case for e-scooters.

‘Equally in my experience of e-scooters, aside from the face they are illegal it is also the case that they are not being used in a responsible manner. I have witnessed them being ridden at excessive speeds on footpaths and in pedestrian areas and with no regard for the highway code.’

For more information on E-Scooter use, visit: https://shorturl.at/lMSV5