Bike shop owner refuses to sell e-scooters
BBCA bike shop owner says he is refusing to sell or repair e-scooters and is calling on others to do the same, with his plea repeated by police.
Grant MacIver, of Skinnergate Cycles in Stockton, said he believed some retailers were "happy to sell them knowing they're being used on the streets and potentially terrorising local neighbourhoods".
It is legal to sell and own e-scooters but they are classed as motor vehicles and can only be ridden on private land with permission from the land owner.
Cleveland Police has also urged shops to stop selling e-scooters following a string of collisions.
The force said there were 36 collisions involving e-scooter riders and pedestrians in the force area between 2021 and 2025, leading to one fatality and 14 serious injuries.
'Scooters seen as toys'
Rented e-scooters can be used on public roads and cycle lanes but only as part of organised trials, such as one running in Newcastle which requires riders required to hold a provisional or full driving licence.
However, there are no such schemes operating in the Cleveland force area.
The force said it had carried out operations to deal with the misuse of e-scooters- often by children - as well as modified e-bikes and e-motorbikes.
It has also started running courses aiming to educate those caught misusing e-scooters about the law prior to criminal action being taken.
Supt Paul Richardson said: "Often e-scooters are seen as toys rather than vehicles and some people don't know that by law they are prohibited from being used on public land and cycle lanes due to the dangers they pose to both the riders and members of the public."
