Essex Police have seized over 1,000 e-scooters involved in illegal or antisocial activity since 2020, according to newly uncovered figures, with the numbers rising sharply this year.
Currently, it is only legal to use to an e-scooter on private land or in one of the cities that are part of a government-regulated scheme.
But data collected by Personal Injury Claims UK suggests that illegal e-scooter use is still rife, especially in Essex.
Seizures
Essex Police told Personal Injury Claims UK that 38 e-scooters were seized by officers in 2020, followed by a post-pandemic high of 307 seizures in 2021.
There were then 244 seizures completed the year after. While seizures in 2023 and 2024 fell to 133 and 130 respectively, this year’s figures suggest a new crackdown.
There were 174 e-scooters taken off the streets between January and July 2025, meaning both of the past two years’ totals have already been eclipsed.
The 34 e-scooters seized in July alone is the highest in any individual month since September 2022.At the current rate, this may be Essex Police’s busiest year yet for removing e-scooters.
After announcing the seizures in July, T/Inspector Steve Wells of Southend NPT said:
“The irresponsible use of e-scooters and e-bikes is an issue we’ve been tackling for some time. The public don’t like them, they’re dangerous and in the wrong hands can cause serious injuries.
Insurance
Because insurance companies do not offer coverage for privately owned e-scooters, the police can seize the vehicle under the Road Traffic Act as uninsured vehicles are not allowed on UK roads.
The penalty issued for riding an uninsured e-scooter in public could be as high as £300 and six points added to your licence.
Police officers can also seize e-scooters involved in crimes or ‘antisocial’ behaviour.
Personal Injury Claims UK gathered data from 29 other forces in England and Wales, finding that they took 5,544 e-scooters off the streets since 2023.
Essex Police’s efforts add 437 to that tally–a figure only eclipsed by two forces who shared data with Personal Injury Claims UK.
Regulation
The government provided a response to the petition calling for greater e-scooter regulation, saying: “A second national evaluation of the e-scooter trials is currently underway, focusing on user and public safety, accessibility impacts and how e-scooters can be safely and effectively integrated into the wider transport network.
“The Government is giving the police stronger powers to stop vehicles being used disruptively, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing illegally owned private e-scooters. This will allow them to deal swiftly with dangerous e-scooters on pavements.”
Essex accidents
E-scooters have been consistently linked to harmful accidents, with government figures showing that 416 people were seriously injured by collisions involving e-scooters in 2023.
Essex Police figures revealed that e-scooters were involved in 164 road traffic collisions between the start of 2022 and the end of July this year.
2023 was the worst year for accidents, with the police recording 61 of them.
Colchester (28 collisions), Thurrock (26) and Chelmsford (20) were the most likely locations for an e-scooter crash.
If an e-scooter rider is responsible for a collision, they face the same consequences as someone driving a car, which can include paying personal injury compensation if someone is hurt.
Personal Injury Claims UK is a firm of personal injury claim specialists with experience in handling road traffic accident cases, including claims against uninsured drivers like e-scooter riders.
Their 24/7 phone service and live chat feature are both free to use.
