POLICE seized more than 280 e-scooters over a three-year period, according to figures released under a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

Devon & Cornwall Police seized 289 privately owned e-scooters between 2023 and 2025, with the number rising sharply in the most recent year, the FOI request shows.

Figures show 119 e-scooters were seized in 2023, before the number fell to 46 in 2024.

Seizures then increased to 124 in 2025 - the highest figure recorded during the period and almost three times the number seized the previous year.

The latest figure also represents a 4.2 per cent increase on 2023, despite the substantial fall recorded in 2024.

Privately owned e-scooters are classed as motor vehicles under the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Unlike e-scooters used through authorised rental schemes, privately owned machines cannot currently be legally insured for use in public places.

This means privately owned e-scooters cannot legally be ridden on roads or in public areas such as pavements, parks and shopping centres.

Police can seize an e-scooter under Section 165 of the Road Traffic Act where it is being used without insurance.

The force does not issue fines for offences involving privately owned e-scooters, meaning other penalties can be used, including seizure and disposal of the vehicle.

Nationally, penalties for offences can include fines and penalty points.

Riding without insurance, for example, can result in a £300 fixed penalty and six points on a driving licence in forces that use that penalty.

Other offences, including riding on pavements, using a mobile phone while riding and going through red lights, can also result in penalties.

Police say serious collisions involving e-scooters or e-motorbikes are investigated in the same way as incidents involving other motor vehicles