Cheltenham reins in e-scooters over fears of drunken mayhem

E-SCOOTERS have been banned from Cheltenham Festival this week after police said drunken racegoers had caused trouble trying to use them at last year’s event.

The four-day gathering, one of the biggest events in the horse-racing calendar, began yesterday, with police warning intoxicated people on e-scooters would “create all sorts of accidents”.

The concerns prompted Gloucestershire County Council to halt its trial of the use of e-scooters on public highways, which has been running since 2020, until the weekend.

Chris Nelson, Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner, told the BBC: “I saw people, and they were clearly intoxicated, getting on these things … and then scooting down Evesham Road weaving in and out of the public.”

A spokesman for Gloucestershire council said: “After the police raised concerns about the safety of e-scooters used by racegoers, we have decided to suspend the service during race week.”

Sean West, Dept Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Police, said its focus was on “keeping people safe”.