Northampton teenager charged with driving offences over alleged misuse of town's new e-scooters

An 18-year-old girl has appeared in court charged with driving offences over alleged misuse of one of the e-scooters that were launched in Northampton last week.

The teenager appeared at Northampton Magistrate's Court today (September 10) over a series of alleged offences using a VOI electric scooter yesterday.

She was charged with driving without a valid licence, failing to stop after an accident, driving without due care and attention, and driving without third party insurance.

The charges are all in relation to an incident on Bradshaw Street on Wednesday (September 9).

The 18-year-old pleaded guilty to the driving offences and will be sentenced at a later date. She was released on bail on the condition she does not use the scooters again and to keep out of the bus station and will return to court at a later date.

It comes after a 12-month trial of the electric scooters was launched in Northampton last week.Three hundred e-scooters, which are paid for by the minute via an app, have been dotted around the town at places such as the train station, bus station and the university campus, in bid to encourage bus, taxi or car users to jump on a scooter instead.

However, the scheme has been criticised by councillors and the public over the potential dangers e-scooters pose to pedestrians when they are misused.