E-SCOOTERS will be available to rent in Ealing Borough from next month, it has been announced.

Five London boroughs will participate in the year-long trial, which starts on June 7.

Apart from Ealing, the other four are Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Richmond and the City of London.

Will Norman, London's walking and cycling commissioner, told the Evening Standard: "This is just the beginning of the trial.

"We are expecting other boroughs to join.

"No-one is going to be riding all the way across London on one, but what I wanted was enough 'joined-up spaces' to make this work.

"It's another tool in helping us reduce congestion and improve air quality."

Three firms – Dott, Lime and Tier – have been selected by Transport for London (TfL) to take part in the Government-backed trial, which will assess safety and whether riders obey the rules of the road.

Each firm will charge £1 to unlock a scooter, with charges of 15-20p per minute afterwards.

The scooters will be limited to a speed of 12.5mph, which is 3mph slower than what is permitted in other cities across the country, while helmets will not be mandatory, but instead recommended.

Riders will have to take an online safety course before their first hire and rides will only end when the scooter is parked in a designated bay.

Between 60 and 150 scooters will be available in each borough and they will use rechargeable batteries.

Private e-scooters will remain illegal (with a fine of £300 and six points on your licence if caught) and hired scooters will only be allowed to be ridden on the road, not on pavements.

The scooters will use 'geo-fencing' mapping technology and will come to a halt as they reach the boundary of each trial area.

Rob Whitehead, director of strategic projects at the Centre for London thinktank, said: "London has been slow to adopt e-scooters compared to elsewhere in the UK and around the world, so we're pleased that TfL is finally pushing forward with a 12-month trial of rental e-scooters from June.

"The next step must be for the government to work with local authorities and transport agencies to legalise privately owned e-scooters, so they are used safely and appropriately, and develop a roadmap which encourages the use of lower carbon, small vehicles in London."