PLANS were recently announced by the council to extend the e-scooter trial in Chester, but the move has drawn criticism from a community group figure.

Having initially been rolled out as a 12-month trial in December 2020, the scheme was given a three-month extension before the recent decision, which means they will be in use throughout the area until the end of November.

Ginger scooters are solar powered, using the latest Tesla chargeable batteries and the company have said that nearly 44 percent of users are choosing the e-scooters for their daily commute, over travelling by car.

Ginger estimates that over 40 tonnes of CO2 emissions have been prevented from entering the atmosphere, replacing around 44,440 short car journeys around the city.

The council also say that there has only been a small number of incidents of anti-social behaviour, however not everyone is convinced that the environmental benefits outweigh the potential hazards.

Reg Barritt, general secretary for Chester Community Voice, said: "I'm not surprised, I'm just appalled, as many of my neighbours will be.

"We're seeing lots of breaches of the rules on the use of e-scooters. There's so many issues with this health and safety threat.

"Children as young as three have had life changing injuries in this country from being hit by e-scooters as well as many elderly people and the users themselves are also at risk."

READ MORE: Council confirms further extension of Chester Ginger e-scooter trial

In statistics compiled by gov.uk over the last year (2021) those most at risk of injury from e-scooters are e-scooter users themselves, with 732 casualties reported, 199 of them serious. Three e-scooter users are reported to have died last year in the UK.

The next two groups most at risk are pedestrians - with 131 casualties reported, with 37 incidents of serious injury - and cyclists - with 36 overall and 14 deemed to be serious.

Cheshire is among the lowest for reported incidents of e-scooter injury, with just 0.4 percent of incidents in Great Britain reported within the borough. There were two collisions reported in Chester in 2020, this has risen to 4 in 2021. However, gov.uk does point out that many minor incidents can go unreported.

Councillor Matt Bryan, cabinet member for housing, planning & climate emergency, said of the new plans: "As part of agreeing to the extension of the trial, we have sought additional safety measures, including easier reporting of illegal riding and enhanced mandatory training, so I would also like to take this opportunity to remind users to remain safe whilst out and about and to be considerate to others."

But Mr Barritt questions the desire of both local authorities and the police to take these safety and environmental concerns seriously.

In a statement to The Standard, Cheshire Police said: "We're working closely with the local authority in relation to the e-scooter trial in Chester. The scheme is part of a national initiative by the Department of Transport and anyone who believes that they are being ridden inappropriately or dangerously, should contact info@ginger.town.

"Any report will be followed up and action will be taken. Any collisions should be reported to Cheshire Police by calling 101."