Middlesbrough's e-scooter rental scheme to be extended

The e-scooters will be expanded to Hartlepool and Redcar later this month.

A roll-out of electric scooters in Teesside remains on the cards despite some concerns over their misuse.

The UK's first rental scheme began in Middlesbrough in July but there were complaints after two teenagers were caught riding them on the A19.

The company behind the scheme, Ginger, said the incidents happened in the week it launched and it had since made changes, including increased checks.

The e-scooters will be expanded to Hartlepool and Redcar later this month.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen previously said the majority of journeys had been made without incident and he did not want "a small number of idiots" ruining it for everyone.

"Ginger has put steps in place to ensure that underage riders cannot use the e-scooters, therefore it would seem that adults are hiring the e-scooters and giving them to people underage," he said.

"This is not only against the rules but it is also illegal."

Top speed of 12.5 mph

Middlesbrough was chosen for the pilot after the government agreed to legalise rental e-scooters on roads as part of trials.

Fifty are in use in Middlesbrough and have a top speed of 12.5 mph (20.1 kpm).

Users must be 18 and hold a provisional or full UK drivers licence or motorcycle licence.

About 1,500 people have used them since they were launched on 13 July.

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Eventually 500 are planned to be made available across the Tees Valley over the next 12 months, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Paul Hodgins, chief executive of Ginger, said: "We've naturally evaluated the project since its very successful launch and made further modifications we believe will improve rider and community experience ahead of our planned roll-out to other areas of the Tees Valley, starting with Hartlepool and Redcar in the coming weeks."

Privately owned e-scooters remain illegal on roads and the permitted vehicles will not be allowed on pavements.