Greater Manchester Police have said they will confiscate any e-scooters being used illegally on roads, pavements and public pathways in the region.
The fresh warning comes in anticipation of many residents receiving e-scooters as gifts over the Christmas holidays.
Whilst e-scooter trials are currently underway in parts of the UK – including one in a designated Salford area – using these vehicles in public actually remains illegal.
GMP said they have seized 21 e-scooters since the start of October and will continue to ‘crackdown’ on riders – prosecuting anyone found operating vehicles without insurance.
Inspector Steve Bryant, from GMP’s Safer Transport Team, said: “We want to ensure that people have the right information when it comes to e-scooters, particularly as many may buy or receive them for Christmas.
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“We are aware that not all sellers make the regulations clear at the point of sale; therefore we will continue to raise awareness so that hard working people do not waste their money on something they cannot currently use.
“To ensure everyone is kept safe on our roads, our officers will be seizing e-scooters used illegally.”
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Whilst e-scooters are occasionally spotted on roads around Manchester, current legislation states they should only be used on private land with permission.
In October, a group of MPs campaigned for the vehicles to be made legal in public spaces – but with measures to prevent their use on pavements.
The Chair of the Transport Committee, Huw Merriman, claimed that the UK is “the last major European economy where e-scooters are still banned to use anywhere except on private land and their use on UK roads is currently illegal.”
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Merriman added: “E-scooters have the potential to become an exciting and ingenious way to navigate our streets and get from place to place. If this gets people out of the car, reducing congestion and exercising in the open air, then even better.
“We support the Government’s desire to include e-scooters in the UK’s transport mix and the current rental trials will provide a crucial evidence base for future legislation.”
News
Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre
Daisy Jackson
Police are trying to track down the family of a man who died after being found unresponsive outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester.
The man, who has now been named as Jonathan Bernard Carroll, was seen outside the city centre theatre at around 6.30am on Tuesday 12 November.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and Mr Carroll was taken to hospital.
Tragically, the 47-year-old passed away a short time later.
A large cordon was in place on Whitworth Street and Oxford Road while police and security attended the incident.
Greater Manchester Police are now appealing to find his next of kin.
It’s believed that he resided in the Salford area of Greater Manchester.
Anyone with any information should contact the Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 1376.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
The Manc -
28th December 2020 
