Residents of Paris will get to decide whether e-scooters are banned in the city, following a number of deadly crashes.

They will vote in a referendum on the fate of electric rental scooters which first came to the capital in 2018 but have since been criticised.

The Telegraph reports that the City’s Mayor, who is an opponent of the scooters, told the Le Parisien newspaper: “In a consultation I conducted with Parisians last year, this was a very divisive subject. It cause arguments. My idea would be for it to end. But I will respect the vote of the Parisians, even if it is contrary to what I would like.”

Critics of the e-scooters in Paris have said that riders often defy bans on riding on pavements, park them without consideration, abandon them in parks and even throw them in the river.

Last September, said the Telegraph report, city officials warned three operators that it would not renew their licences which are due to expire in March, if they fail to limit reckless riding and other ‘misuses’.

In response, the companies came up with a number of suggested improvements, including fitting the scooters with licence plates.

Since 2018 e-scooters have been involved in thousands of road accidents, with dozens of them fatal.