Nearly 100 Electric Scooters Users Stopped in London In One Week

30 July 2019, 12:53

Police have cracked down on people illegally riding e-scooters in London - and one caller told LBC's Ian Payne an electric scooter went past him at 20mph on the pavement.

Last week almost 100 people were caught illegally riding electric scooters in London as the Metropolitan Police staged its first operation targeting the machines.

Ten people were fined and had their scooters confiscated due to speeding or ignoring a red light.

The crackdown comes following the death of TV presenter and Youtuber, Emily Hartridge.

The 35-year-old was struck by a lorry in Battersea on July 12, making her the first person in the UK to be killed while riding an e-scooter.

YouTuber Emily Hartridge killed in UK's first fatal electric scooter crash

A person rides an electric scooter in Westminster
A person rides an electric scooter in Westminster. Picture: LBC

Chief Supt Colin Wingrove, Head of Roads and Transport Policing at the Metropolitan Police, said it is important the "public are fully aware of the risks associated with the use of e-scooters."

A caller told LBC's Ian Payne he was "gobsmacked" when an electric scooter went past him on the pavement at 20mph.

He said: "This guy went by so fast....I thought, what's going on there....this thing was definitely doing 20....on the pavement."

Watch the full exchange in the video at the top of the page.