Residents have reacted to a police announcement that they will be carrying out dedicated patrols in parts of Oxfordshire to tackle e-scooter riders flouting the law.

Thames Valley Police force has chosen to act after receiving complaints about the inappropriate use of e-scooters.

They will now be conducting foot patrols in Banbury as part of ‘OP Japanese’.

This operation seeks to tackle illegal e-scooter usage, with offenders facing £300 fines.

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Earlier this year, the Oxford Mail published a guide containing all rules about e-scooters after their popularity rose in Oxford.

They popped up in Headington as part of an initiative jointly run by Oxfordshire County Council and Voi Technology.

They were hailed a success by some residents with thousands of rides taken since their launch in February.

The trial could soon be rolled out to Cowley and East Oxford but not the city centre for the time being due to concerns they could take up too much space.

In legislation, an e-scooter is classed as a powered transporter and are treated as a motor vehicle and so fall under the Road Traffic Act.

This means that they are subject to all the same legal requirements as motor vehicles; MOT, tax, licensing, insurance and specific construction regulations.

Any e-scooter which is not part of a trial remains illegal to use other than on private land which must not be accessible to the public.

Under UK law, it is permitted to ride an electric scooter on private land as long as people have the landowner’s permission.

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But it is an offence to ride them in public – including on paths, pavements and roads.

Any person who rides one on a public road, pavement or other prohibited space is committing a criminal offence and can be prosecuted.

In addition, the penalty for driving without insurance is a fine of £300 and up to six points on driving licence.

Laws on drink and drug driving also apply to trial e-scooters, as do those for inconsiderate and dangerous driving

If people use them in public in an antisocial manner, they can also be seized by officers under section 59 of the Police Reform Act.

Despite the potential speed of an e-scooter, there is no legal requirement to wear a helmet.

However, official guidance from the Department for Transport recommends wearing a helmet if using a rental trial e-scooter.

In May a man was fined for using his own electric scooter in Oxford.

Qadeep Hussain, of Long Ford Close, used the e-scooter without a number plate on Oxford High Street last year.

The 25-year-old appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on April 6 charged with driving without third party insurance and the wrong type of licence on December 3.

He was fined £880, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £88 and court costs of £90.

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His driving licence was also endorsed with six penalty points.

JOHN PERCIVAL: “Don’t know if I’ve said this before but, you can’t ride it on a public road, cycle lane or pavement.

“E-scooters are classified as Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs), so they are treated as motor vehicles and subject to the same legal requirements, such as MOT, licensing, tax, insurance.

“As e-scooters do not have number plates, signalling ability and don’t always have visible rear lights, they can’t be used legally on the roads. And yes, I am fun at parties, actually.”

OXFORD MAIL READER: “Nearly every day I see drivers, and it nearly always is cars, avoiding queues outside a local school by driving on the pavement.

“Then there’s the parents who drive on the pavement to park there.

“In this context, I’m not sure if scooters are what we need to fear on our streets. They need regulating, and policing.

“While we are at it, let’s outlaw pavement parking for scooters and cars.”

OXFORD MAIL READER: “There are too many on the roads and pavements - dealers are using them too.”

OXFORD MAIL READER: “On having their scooter confiscated, I wonder how many people would buy a car instead.

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“Would our streets be better places with those kids racing around in their Vauxhall Novas instead?”

OXFORD MAIL READER: Elon Musk should make them rocket-powered drone scooters instead - best way to avoid pot-holes.”