TWO teenagers have been branded ‘idiots’ after they were stopped riding e-scooters along the A19 just days after the scheme was launched.

The youths were pulled over by Cleveland Police at Teesside Retail Park, having hired e-scooters and ridden them along the busy A19.

And their actions have been described as ‘sheer stupidity’ by Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, who launched the scheme.

Neither of the boys were wearing any protective equipment, such as helmets or high visibility clothing when they were spoken to by officers yesterday.

Temporary Superintendent Graham Milne, from Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit, said: “Hiring e-scooters may seem like a bit of fun for some, but they’re not toys. They can only be hired and ridden by holders of a valid driving licence and anyone found to be driving irresponsibly can have their driving licence endorsed, face a fine or criminal prosecution.

“Anyone hiring a Ginger e-scooter must be over 18 and they obey the law in respect of motor vehicles exactly as they would a car or motorcycle or other vehicle.

“Hired Ginger e-scooters are lawful with a driving licence but any privately owned e-scooters can only be ridden on private land with the landowner’s permission.

“It’s also important to remind people that helmets and protective clothing are advisable to keep people as safe as possible.”

The pilot scheme, which was launched on Monday in Middlesbrough, will initially have 50 e-scooters available for people to use to get around the town.

Mr Houchen said: “I’m pleased that the trial is working. This was illegal and in flagrant breach of the rules and I’m pleased to see our fantastic police officers move swiftly in line with the trial rules and procedures in place.

“Nobody would dream of cycling or riding a skateboard on a motorway, but it would seem that there will always be some idiots that need protecting from themselves and no amount of planning can anticipate such sheer stupidity.

“Since the launch of our e-scooter trail on Monday in Middlesbrough we’ve had 482 rides take place, the overwhelming majority of which have been without incident.”

In the scheme’s early phase, hubs for the re-charging and parking of the e-scooters have been set up at Middlesbrough Bus Station, Riverside Park, and Linthorpe Village.

Paul Hodgins CEO of Ginger added: “The guidelines for using the scooters are clear both prior to, and throughout, the hire of the scooters.

“The trial is performing well and we'll continue to work closely with all regional partners during this test phase to ensure riders are aware of their responsibilities to themselves and other road users.”