Thirteen illegal e-scooters and e-bikes taken off the streets of Wrexham on Tuesday (15 September) are all set to be destroyed, North Wales Police have said.
The operation
Officers from Wrexham’s neighbourhood policing team, joined by colleagues from the force’s Central area, carried out the stops across the city area of Wrexham. By the end of the day they had seized nine e-scooters and four e-bikes, all of them being ridden illegally.
The team made no apology for the crackdown. In a post that evening, one officer wrote: “I have said the word illegal a number of times in this post, for good reason, they are ILLEGAL!!”
Why now
The seizures follow recent incidents elsewhere in the county that left people badly hurt.
The team said: “We take no joy in seizing these items from children and adults alike, but only recently there have been incidents involving an E Scooter and an E bike in Wrexham County that have caused some serious injuries.”
A message to parents
Officers were blunt that the responsibility sits with parents and guardians not to buy these vehicles for their children in the first place.
“We are not the reason they are upset,” the post continued, “they are upset because they have been bought a cool gift that unfortunately they are not allowed to use on any public roads or spaces and the police have taken them.”
What the law says
The team spelled out the position on e-scooters: “E Scooters can only be used on private land and are completely illegal on UK roads or public spaces.”
The rules on e-bikes are more complicated, as some models are legal on the road and others are not. Anyone unsure was urged to check before riding.
“I ask that you please look on google where you will find a plethora of information about E bikes and which ones can or can’t be used on public roads, failing that, speak to one of us, we will be happy to assist and give you some information,” the officer said.
