Following a number of incidents of e-scooters being illegally used by young people in Ivybridge, police are reminding people of the rules.

E-scooters come under the category of 'powered transporters'.

This covers a range of personal transport devices powered by a motor.

E-scooters are classed as motor vehicles under the Road Traffic Act 1988.

This means the rules that apply to motor vehicles, also apply to e-scooters including the need to have a licence and insurance.

There are two ways of using an e-scooter:

a) by privately owning one

b) by renting one through an authorised rental scheme

It's not currently possible to get insurance for privately owned e-scooters.

This means it’s illegal to use them on the road or in public spaces, such as parks, street pavements, and shopping centres.

If you use a privately-owned e-scooter in public, you risk the vehicle being seized under the Road Traffic Act 1988 for having no insurance.

If you cause serious harm to another person whilst riding an e-scooter, the incident will be investigated in the same way it would if you were riding a motorcycle or driving a car.

If you own an e-scooter, you can only use it in on private land, such as in a garden but you must have the permission of the landowner to do so.

You can rent e-scooters in some parts of the UK through e-scooter rental trials but the closest ones are in North Devon and Somerset.

Where a rental trial scheme is running, rental e-scooters can be used on public roads, some cycle lanes, and other public spaces but you must follow the relevant road traffic laws.

To use a rental e-scooter in an approved area you must: hold the correct driving licence, have insurance (the rental companies provide this when you hire from them) and meet the minimum age limit.

When riding an e-scooter, you should always keep to the speed limit.

Police recommend wearing safety protection such as a helmet.

If you breach the rules when using an e-scooter you could face a fixed penalty notice.

Devon and Cornwall police will not issue fines, so other forms of penalty will be used if you use an e-scooter in a public place when not part of an approved trial.

For other forces in the UK, the fixed penalty notice could include: a £300 fine and six penalty points on your licence for having no insurance and a £100 fine and three to six penalty points for riding without the correct licence

You could also be committing an offence if you're caught: riding on a pavement, using a mobile phone or other handheld mobile device while riding, riding through red lights, drink driving: the same as if you were driving a car, you could face court imposed fines, a driving ban and possible imprisonment.

If you're using an e-scooter in public in an antisocial manner, you can also risk the e-scooter being seized under the Police Reform Act.