E-scooters: Sussex Police not 'turning blind eye' to illegal use, PCC says

The Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner has denied that a "blind eye" is being turned to the illegal use of e-scooters.

Katy Bourne spoke during a meeting of the police and crime panel last week following a question from Littlehampton councillor James Walsh.

He said the use of e-scooters was increasing, but few people were stopped by police, cautioned or prosecuted.

Ms Bourne said 90 e-scooters were seized last month alone.

Her comments came after a BBC South East investigation found that e-scooters were being hacked to remove speed restrictions.

Dr Walsh said: "My observation - and the emails that I get - is that the use of them is increasing, the danger to the public is increasing and yet there seems to be almost an official blind eye being turned to it in that it's very, very rare for anyone to be stopped, cautioned or prosecuted."

While the sale of e-scooters is not illegal, the use of them on public roads and pavements is forbidden, unless they are part of a government-backed rental trial scheme.

No such scheme exists in Sussex.

Ms Bourne said officers were "definitely not turning a blind eye" to the illegal use of e-scooters, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

She added: "They're illegal. We don't have any pilot sites in Sussex or Surrey and therefore anybody that's riding them [in a] public space isn't meant to be."

The 90 scooters seized during a three-week campaign in February covered areas including Crawley and Brighton & Hove.

The numbers seized across the county have risen sharply over the last few years.

In 2020, 19 e-scooters were seized. In 2021 it was 98. And during the first three months of 2022, 126 were seized.

Ms Bourne said: "My plea to the public is if you see them do report it."

She called the e-scooters "a menace", and added: "The message out there to people is don't buy them. They're not for riding in public spaces."

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