"DEATHTRAP" electric scooters, which have "terrorised older residents", are being scrapped in Basildon.

"Youngsters causing havoc" on e-scooters have reportedly 'stopped families from walking with their children outside their front doors' according to Basildon councillors, where the scooters will be scrapped.

E-scooters have been on trial with Essex County Council since December 2020, and plans have been to extend the trial in Basildon again. 

At a full council meeting at Basildon Council councillors raised concerns about the vehicles being used for "criminality and criminal behaviour."

Essex County Council bosses say there have been around three million e-scooter journeys, and many users see "positive benefits of this type of travel as an alternative for using a car for shorter journeys."

Aidan McGurran, Basildon's councillor for environment and Leisure, said: "I am delighted to be able to announce tonight we will be telling Essex County Council where they can shove their e-scooters.

"As of the end of May, we will no longer see them scattered across our pavements, often creating a serious safety issue. We will no longer see our older residents being terrorised by scooters and we should think ourselves very lucky we haven't experienced a tragedy as a result of this, there's certainly been a few near misses.

"We will no longer see youngsters causing havoc even though they are not old enough to be riding these things and riding them with more than one person at a time, risking their own safety and that of others."

Kerry Smith, Independent councillor for Nethermayne, said: "The first thing that really made me concerned, I was visiting my late mother on a Saturday night and a kid was going around the roundabout the wrong way. We have residents who are blind, how do you use a guide dog with these rotten scooters on the pavement, they have been a complete nutty idea and I've fought it at county.

"These are meant to be used on the highway but Basildon residents know you wouldn't want anyone with that death trap on a public highway even if ridden by proficient users because of the disgusting state of our roads, absolutely unacceptable."

Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of the council, said: "I was knocking on doors in St Martin's around the Gloucester Park area, this came up time and time again, like literally every door.

"This came up as a problem and as an issue. They can't walk their kids outside their front door because of people coming off Gloucester Park into the housing estate at all hours. There is definitely an issue with criminality and criminal behaviour going on with them, that is, as far as residents are concerned, indisputable."

A spokesman for Essex County Council said: "We recently conducted a survey to gather views on the e-scooter trial. The results of this will help us make a decision as to whether we wish to extend the trial, and as part of this the districts which currently host the e-scooters have each been invited to inform us of whether or not they wish to continue.

"There has been around three million journeys on e-scooters since the trial began in December 2020 with many users, including in Basildon, seeing the positive benefits of this type of travel as an alternative for using a car for shorter journeys. The majority of concerns are with private e-scooters, which are illegal to use on roads and public spaces. Private e-scooters are not required to meet the same standards or use the same technology."