E-scooters in London: Met Police warn retailers not to exploit customers at Christmas

Thousands of e-scoooters have been seized by the Met Police

Police have accused retailers of selling private e-scooters without making customers fully aware they cannot legally be used on public land.

The Met said 3,637 e-scooters have been seized by police in London this year.

It is currently against the law to use e-scooters in public because they do not always have visible rear red lights or number plates.

Commander Kyle Gordon said people are being left with "expensive seizures, fines and points on their licence".

Private e-scooters can only legally be used on private land in the UK but are a common sight on roads and pavements in urban areas.

This year eight London boroughs have taken part in year-long government-backed trials where people can hire them and ride them on roads.

The rental e-scooters have additional safety features, with lights, and a maximum speed of 12.5mph - which is below the 15.5mph limit set by the Department for Transport (DfT).

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The DfT has partnered with Transport for London (TfL) in writing to retailers urging them not to "exploit" their customers as thousands of e-scooters are expected to be sold in the run-up to Christmas.

Mr Gordon, the Met's head of roads policing, added that private e-scooters have "proven to be highly dangerous" and the force has dealt with crashes where riders have "ended up seriously hurting themselves or others".

He said: "It is really unhelpful that retailers, fully aware of the risks they are creating for the public, continue to profit from selling machines illegal for use on public roads without sufficient explanation and guidance."

Earlier this year, 16-year-old Junior Shay Alexander died after a collision between an e-scooter and a car in Bromley, south-east London, with a man later arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

He is one of three people who have died this year, the DfT said.

A further 729 people have been injured in crashes involving an e-scooter.