Driver charged as police seize £1,200 e-scooter bought day before to deliver takeaways

The 20-year-old had only bought the hi-tech vehicle the previous day and was using it to transport takeaways.

But it was seized by Northumbria Police officers after they spotted him riding it on the pavement.

After he was questioned, it emerged he was not insured to drive the vehicle and he now faces a day in court after he was reported for careless driving and driving with no insurance.

The unlucky driver was stopped in Newcastle city centre on Wednesday morning, August 4.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said only scooters available for hire by the public were legal for use on the roads and urged people not to use privately-owned scooters out and about: “Please remember that it is illegal to use private e-scooters in public areas.

"If you do, then your vehicle could be seized, you could receive points on your licence and you could be fined. We don’t want any pedestrians or e-scooter riders to be injured through careless or dangerous driving so please show respect for your community.

"Public hire scooters are already covered by insurance but you still need to hold a valid licence to be able to ride them and could be prosecuted if your drive them carelessly.

"Please make sure you are aware of legislation around the use of e-scooters. Full details can be found on the Government website by googling ‘E-Scooter Legislation’.”

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