The Christmas present police have urged Nuneaton and Bedworth parents not to buy

Police have urged parents in Nuneaton and Bedworth to think about buying a certain present this Christmas. The local team have asked people to think before buying an e-scooter.

This is those caught riding them on the streets of the borough risk having them seized - and crushed. Officers will be carrying out operations in the New Year to tackle illegal e-scooter riding.

They say this been described by some locals as a 'blight' in their neighbourhoods.

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PC Jonny Walker, from Nuneaton and Bedworth Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “As well as being illegal, riding an e-scooter is also dangerous both to the person riding it and members of the public.

“When we talk to our communities, they describe e-scooters as a blight on the streets. In the new year we’ll be running operations targeting e-scooters being ridden illegally and we won’t hesitate to seize them.”

E-scooter riding - all you need to know

Police say there are only limited circumstances in which they can be ridden legally. Officers explained that it is not possible to get insurance for privately owned e-scooters which means it is illegal to use them on the road as well as in other public spaces such as parks, pavements, and shopping centres.

E-scooters can only be used on private land, but you need to get the permission of the landowner.

While there are e-scooter trials taking place in some parts of the country, Warwickshire is not one of them.