E-scooters and bikes seized in day of police action
Sam Read/BBCPolice seized more than 20 e-scooters and e-bikes as part of an enforcement day.
The Northamptonshire force launched its Operation Tides crackdown after a five-year-old boy suffered a fractured skull when he was hit by an e-scooter on the pavement in Northampton.
Officers said Saturday's operation saw efforts focussed on the use of the vehicles in Corby, with some time also spent in Desborough and Kettering.
Ch Insp Nathan Shepherd said: "These vehicles may seem convenient but, when they are used illegally or irresponsibly, they can pose a very real risk."
The force said the six-hour enforcement was supported by the National Police Air Service's plane.
A total of 29 vehicles were seized, including 23 e-scooters and two e-bikes.
Three motorcycles were also stopped and seized for being ridden with no insurance or invalid licences, along with one car found to have no insurance.
Police said a teenager riding two-up on an e-bike was among those detained after she attempted to escape officers.
Almost half of the e-scooters and e-bikes its officers tried to engage with tried to get away.
Ch Insp Shepherd said: "This operation continues to send a clear message that the illegal use of e-scooters and e-bikes will not be tolerated.
"We want people to feel safe when they are out and about in our towns, and responding to those concerns is a priority for us."
Sam Read/BBCThe Department for Transport (DfT) estimates between 640,000 and 950,000 people in England own an e-scooter.
An estimated 1,484 people were injured in e-scooter collisions in 2025. In the same year, 10 people died while riding e-scooters, including a boy and girl in Essex.
In Northamptonshire, police seized 166 illegal e-scooters during 2025-26, compared with 42 in 2023-24.
Tom Jackson/BBCIt is illegal for anyone to ride a privately-owned e-scooter in public, on pavements, on roads or in parks.
It is only legal to ride on private land with the permission of the landowner.
The only e-scooters that can be ridden on public roads are those hired from approved schemes, with some provisos.
However, the law is different when it comes to e-bikes: people aged 14 and over can ride one as long as it is an "electrically assisted pedal cycle".
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