City dignitary describes e-scooters as 'scourge of Milton Keynes'

A man who is a town councillor and Alderman of the borough has lashed out at the use of e-scooters and suggested they be BANNED in his area of MK.

Paul Bartlett says he has to take action "on a regular basis" to avoid a collision with a scooter when he is walking in his home town of Stony Stratford,

"Stepping out of my front door is a real risk. I should not have to look left and right. Exiting shops in the town, one is literally facing injury and worse, he said.

Mr Bartlett served on Milton Keynes Council for many years and was awarded Alderman status for his services. He still serves on Stony Stratford Town Council.

He said: "Perhaps together, we can call for better policing of the use of e scooters, that they only be sold to those who can legally ride them and to ban their use in the area covered by Stony Stratford Town Council".

Electric scooters became legal on roads in England in July last year - but only if they are obtained through a share scheme.

They must be limited to travelling at 15.5mph and cannot be ridden on pavements. Riders will need to be aged 16 or over and have a full or provisional driving licence.

MK launched Britain's first full-scale trial of rental e-scooters in August last year with a fleet of hundreds of machines for hire for 20p a minute.

The scheme proved instantly popular, with the e-scooters allowed to be ridden on all redways and some roads with lower speed limits.