A controversial electric scooter scheme has been extended until the end of March.

Canterbury’s trial - launched by Kent County Council and headed up by e scooter rental firm Bird - was originally due to end yesterday but has been extended by an extra five months.

KCC announced the news this morning, following guidance from the Department for Transport (DfT) which is heading up 31 such pilots across the UK, sparking dismay from some quarters.

The e scooters were first introduced in Canterbury last November when the government gave permission for the vehicles to be used on a small number of public areas for a year.

While the scooters themselves are provided by Bird, KCC is responsible for hosting them and gathering the views of local people.

The vehicles have proven a divisive addition to the city - with some praising their environmental credentials, while others have raised concerns over the risks they pose to pedestrians and road users, and are often dumped across the city.

The scheme was introduced in three phases.

The final phase was launched in June, and saw the trial zone expanded from the city centre to peripheral areas such as Thanington, Hales Place, Wincheap and Harbledown.

But after a number of e scooters were damaged by vandals, the scooter fleet has been halved from 200 to 100 and the scheme has been scaled back to run on just a few select routes, while the criminal damage is investigated by police.

Announcing the extension of the trial, KCC's cabinet member for highways and transport, David Brazier, said: “Electric scooters offer the potential for clean and inexpensive travel that can also help ease the burden on transport networks as we navigate a life out of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We look forward to working with the DfT to understand if and how the use of these vehicles have a place in Canterbury and indeed the wider county.

“It is our continued focus to maintain a listening ear when it comes to the views of those who witness the e scooters being used, and not just those taking part in the trial scheme.”

While Bird scooters may be used on roads within the designated zone, it remains illegal to ride any other electric scooter in Canterbury, or any other public space that is not within the trial area.

Bird regional general manager, Charlotte Bailey, said: “We’re delighted to hear the trial of e-scooters has been extended to March 2022 and applaud the decision of Kent County Council and the DfT for their continued support and embrace of eco-friendly transportation.

“Our goal has always been to make cities more liveable and make people think twice about using a car. The extension of the trial is testament to how well people in Canterbury have taken to the service.”

The news has been met with a mixed response.

City councillor Mike Sole (Lib Dem) took to Facebook to air his concerns, writing: "E scooters have been a curse in Canterbury and the trial of legal scooters has failed as there has been lack of enforcement of illegal scooters and the official routes were not suitable for a city like Canterbury.

"It was worth trying out a new form of transport but it shouldn’t have continued in the current format which wasn’t working."

Another city resident pointed out that e scooter rental schemes operate in many other cities across the world.

He wrote: "It is a little disturbing that English people seem to not be able to cope with sharing the world with electric scooter riders. I wonder what is different from every other country throughout Europe and Asia where the inhabitants seem to live alongside e-scooters without 'fearing death or serious injury'."

The city council says while phase three of the trial remains on pause, it hopes to roll the scheme back out to full capacity soon.

Full details of the operational area of the trial is available at on KCC's website.

To report safety concerns about equipment owned and operated by Bird email canterbury@bird.co or phone 01484 509145. Any issued reported through these means will be shared with KCC and in some circumstances with Kent Police.

Safety concerns outside the trial should be reported directly to the police.

Read about our experience trying out one of the Bird e scooters in Canterbury here.

Read more: All the latest news from Canterbury