E-scooter modified for child to ride seized

An e-scooter which had been modified to allow a four-year-old to ride is one of more than 1,000 seized by Derbyshire Police, as the force released new figures this week.

The model, which was seized and crushed by officers based in Allestree in Derby, had been fitted with a second set of mini handlebars to allow a child to be a passenger.

The incident came just a few months into a new "seize first" approach by the force towards the illegal vehicles, which began in November 2024.

Since then, four-figures of vehicles which cannot be legally ridden on public roads have been taken off the streets, said the police.

The force added in another incident, an e-scooter capable of hitting speeds of 50mph was found being ridden by a 12-year-old, while another being repeatedly ridden on a busy road by a child led to a parent being given points on their licence.

Roads policing team Insp Lee Welsby said: "Seizing more than 1,000 e-scooters demonstrates the scale of the issue, and the work our officers are doing to tackle it.

"Our priority is keeping people safe, as an e-scooter at low speeds could still cause serious injuries for a pedestrian or the rider in the event of a collision.

"However, some of the examples we've seen have been shocking – a child falling off an e-scooter travelling at 40mph doesn't bear thinking about."

The force said since the new approach, it has seen a reduction in collisions involving e-scooters.

It said in 2024 eight e-scooter collisions caused serious injuries, but across 2025 and 2026 so far there have been none.

All e-scooters seized are crushed and recycled.

Police and crime commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts said the initiative was sending "a clear message that unlawful use will not be tolerated".

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