Northamptonshire e-scooter warning issued by police

E-scooters have been available for adults to use in Northampton since 2020

Councils and the police are urging people not to share their e-scooter accounts, especially with people below the rider age limit.

West and North Northamptonshire councils, the police and e-scooter company Voi, said under-18s were not allowed to ride its rental e-scooters.

Northamptonshire Police says it will carry out spot checks.

Anyone allowing an underage rider to use their account faced a possible Voi ban and prosecution, police said.

To ride a Voi e-scooter in the UK, riders must have either a full or provisional driving licence and meet local age restrictions.

Police said that in the UK, more than 500 Voi riders (out of 1.5 million) - or just under 0.04% of all users - have been banned for sharing their accounts with underage riders.

Matt O'Connell of Northamptonshire Police said: "We know that targeting dangerous e-scooter riding is something that the community want us to focus on and operations like the ones we will be carrying out in the coming weeks will do exactly that.

"A young person without a driving licence has no experience of what it's like to travel on the roads and by enabling a child to ride an e-scooter, you are putting them at risk of serious injury and even death."

People have been able to hire the orange electric scooters in Northampton since 2020

Jack Samler, regional country manager for Voi UK, Ireland and France, said: "Our rules are in place so that riders remain safe - and anyone breaking them is risking their and others' safety."

People in Northampton have been able to hire the scooters since the beginning of a trial project in 2020.

A recent review of the trial carried out by West Northamptonshire Council found more than one in six respondents wanted it stopped.

The council said e-scooters were a cost-effective and sustainable way to travel.

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