Plympton Police have issued a warning to owners of e-scooters: don’t ride them in any public place or risk breaking the law and having the scooter seized. In a post on the Plympton Police Facebook page PCSO Elaine Hesketh wrote:
“I have noticed that there is an increasing number of e-scooters on the roads, on the pavements and in other public places.
“In order to help our residents stay safe and on the right side of the law I thought I would find out and share with you exactly what the rules are.
“While e-scooters are legally available to purchase, it’s currently against the law to ride a privately owned e-scooter in any public place in the UK. This includes roads, pavements, parks, town centres or canal towpaths.
“The only place a privately owned e-scooter can be used is on private land. This is because e-scooters are classified as Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs) so they are treated as motor vehicles. As such, if they are used on a road, pavement or public place they are subject to the same legal requirements as any motor vehicle. “We understand that e-scooters are very tempting for presents, and a great way to get around, but we would urge people to fully understand the law first.
“If you are found to be using an e-scooter in a public place, the scooter could be seized, and the rider reported for any offences.
“We would also urge anyone using an e-scooter legally – on private land – to carefully consider their safety before doing so. All riders should wear a helmet, younger riders particularly, would benefit from additional protective clothing such as knee and elbow pads to minimise injury.”
