ELECTRIC scooters were seized by police officers during a clampdown on illegal riders. 

Officers were in West Howe on Tuesday, July 16 following incidents of anti-social use of motorbikes, scooters, e-bikes and quadbikes on and off road. 

Seven e-scooters were seized by the force during the day, which saw neighbourhood officers work with the drone team and BCP Council. 

In BCP, the only legal use of e-scooters is on a Beryl, which requires users to register via an app and their driver’s licence details added. 

A spokesman for Bournemouth police said: “The Bournemouth north neighbourhood policing team have had a day of action to educate and enforce the law around the use of motorised vehicles.  

“In conjunction with partner agencies, the team have issued three traffic tickets and seized seven electric scooters this evening, by targeting hotspot areas with the effect to deter and disrupt offences from taking place.” 

For the year leading to January 2023, Dorset Police seized 85 e-scooters from the county’s roads and, when it comes to enforcement, are subject to the same legal requirements as a car – including MOT, licencing and insurance. 

Beryl’s annual rider report 2023 showed that convenience was the key factor when choosing to use Beryl vehicles, with 97 per cent of the 603 riders asked citing it as important.   

Since launching in June 2019, the scheme has generated nearly 1,920,000 rides across more than 4.1 million miles.  

According to Beryl, the journeys have replaced more than 700,000 private vehicle journeys and prevented nearly 250 tonnes of CO2 emissions across the three towns. 

Police and crime commissioner David Sidwick said: “Don’t get me wrong, I believe that e-scooters have the potential to be a transformative form of personal transport – if used correctly, and within the law.  

“However, there are too many people that use e-scooters in an irresponsible and dangerous manner.”