As Canterbury's controversial e-scooter trial came to an end this week, the city should now be free of the vehicles.

But as reporter Max Chesson discovers on a walk through the city centre, this is far from the case...

I’m standing opposite Starbucks in Canterbury, eavesdropping on what is one of the more pleasant conversations between law enforcement and a group of teenage boys, one of whom is clutching a jet black electric scooter.

They’re discussing vapes. The officer reveals he rather likes the taste of blue raspberry. The lads decide this is a “solid choice”.

After around 20 minutes, the conversation fizzles out and the group departs, with the owner of the e-scooter wheeling it away. I find this intriguing, and ask why he isn’t riding it.

The response: “Pigs told me that if I rode it away, they’ll take it away. I ain’t thick enough to ride it when he’s right there.”

“Right, so what happens now?” I ask, suspecting I know the answer.

And as expected, he tells me that he’s going to wait until he gets away from the main streets before he hops back on.

“I ain’t thick, I’m not going to let the police see me on it,” he repeats, and proceeds to go about his day.

I understand the boy's caution. There is a significant police presence in the city, which I later discover is due to a series of raids on mobile phone shops.

And while I find it amusing to watch him walk it rather than ride it, I understand his reasoning.

After two years, the e-scooter trial pioneered by Kent County Council and Bird came to an end on Wednesday.

It was initially heralded as an innovative way to help tackle climate change and poor air quality in the city.

But its conclusion was described as "a good day for Canterbury" by one of its many critics, who raised concerns about the potential dangers the scooters posed to other road users.

E-scooter company Bird says the experiment saw one in four eligible adults in Canterbury rent one of the two-wheeled devices, including one of our reporters who tested the technology earlier this year.

The firm says almost 125,000 miles were racked up by paying customers in this time period.

But after a pensioner was injured when an e-scooter knocked her down in July, the calls to ditch the trial became louder.

And now, in the cold light of December, it is illegal to ride an e-scooter on a public highway in the county, rented or not.

And so, in theory, the sight of e-scooters in Canterbury should be a thing of the past.

Yet as I have just seen, they aren’t. Although, in fairness to the vaping teen, I haven’t actually seen him ride it.

The law surrounding e-scooters is often misunderstood. While owning one is allowed, it is illegal to ride them on public highways, except as part of a government-backed trial.

I wonder how many are - perhaps unwittingly - falling foul of the law.

I approach the officer who, guarding one of the shops being raided, has just sent the e-scooter-user on his merry way.

First thing he says to me is: “Can’t go in yet, another half hour maybe.”

“Thanks. What did you say to the boy with the e-scooter?” I reply.

“Told him he can’t ride it in the city, if we catch him riding it we’ll have to seize it.”

“What stops you seizing it now?” I ask, hoping the officer won’t shut me down.

“Didn’t see him riding it. He was polite when I told him he wasn’t allowed to ride it, got no interest in causing problems when there are none.”

So regardless of whether he suspected the boy might ride the e-scooter when out of sight, no crime has been witnessed.

It’s hard to find fault with the logic.

And so, content with my interactions here, I decide to go for a stroll in search of more e-scooters.

For a while, there are none. It is as it should be.

Even in Dane John Gardens, where I’ve previously seen youths scooting to and fro with the distinct smell of marijuana in close pursuit, is devoid of e-scooters.

I suppose timing is everything. It’s around 1.30pm on a cold, grey Thursday. Anyone riding an e-scooter is likely to be at school or work.

I decide to return after 3.30pm, in time for students to emerge in their masses.

But as I walk back to the office, I see the second rider of the day, who proves the vehicles are not only popular among teenagers.

He is a middle-aged man, sporting glasses, headphones and a backpack. He emerges from McDonald's and jumps straight on, blissfully unaware of life around him.

He moves towards me, and he nods his head to indicate to me where I should move to make way. I instinctively follow. As this happens, I make contact with an elderly woman. She huffs.

“Not a fan?” I ask.

“No, I am not,” she grunts back at me.

“Oh, how come?”

“Dangerous. Unsafe,” she shakes her head.

A few hours pass. It is now 4pm. I’m standing in Dane John Gardens. I see my old friend, the vape boy, and again, he stands on his stationary scooter rather than riding it.

"I ain’t thick, I’m not going to let the police see me on it..."

I walk past him, he nods at me with a smile, and I turn around to see him zooming off into the distance.

Back at Whitefriars, I ask some stallholders and shoppers if they have any strong views on the vehicles.

What about a pensioner been knocked down by one? Nope. Illegal to ride? Nothing. Really fun and cheap? Maybe, but no opinion.

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Between the cyclists and the moped riders, these two-wheeled contraptions aren’t a rarity in Canterbury. I imagine it’s very easy to become blind to them all.

I do spot a couple of riders. But - aside from the fact what they're doing is illegal - they aren’t being menaces or driving at an absurd speed. They move fluidly and slowly. It’s almost graceful.

Standing near Greggs, I am about to head back to the office when I spot a teenage rider coming from the direction of Burgate.

He almost clatters into a JustEat driver. The scooter wobbles and he nearly falls off.

Then he pulls up to the German Doner Kebab and goes inside with his scooter.

I look through the window and see him sat down with his mum, leaving the scooter next to one of the self-order kiosks.

I decide to go and talk to them. They seem a friendly mother and son.

And the conversation is initially friendly. I ask the son about the scooter and he enjoys telling me how it was a gift from his mum. She’s very pleased he gets so much use out of it.

“It beats him sitting at home on his Playstation, gives him a bit of freedom,” she tells me.

I appreciate the sentiment, but wonder whether or not she knows that the freedom being offered isn’t legal.

She didn’t. And when I reveal this, the pair turn a bit frosty. I try and convince them I’m not trying to get them into trouble, but am genuinely curious.

No dice. They’d rather not talk to me now. I thank them for their time and head out into the drizzle.

I decide I’ve seen enough. And more than I expected. I initially thought I would see no scooters at all once all the permitted Bird scooters had been removed from the streets.

Obviously, this has not been the case. Being out in Canterbury for a grand total of two and a half hours has shown me what I needed to see. That e-scooters are still being used - illegally - within the city.

And the actions of people riding them did vary. There were a few considerate drivers and a few arrogant ones. And it’s not just reckless youths riding them carelessly.

But what struck me most was the indifference of most of the public to them. Apart from the huffing and puffing of the elderly woman, it seemed as though barely anyone noticed their presence.

Their use might now be outlawed, but it’s like nothing has changed. The e-scooter trial may be over - but it would appear they're not going anywhere.