There are legal obstacles holding up attempts to trial e-scooters in Scotland, despite them now being legal in certain areas of England.

The Scotland on Sunday newspaper reports that a “more lengthy approval process north of the Border” means it is uncertain when Scotland will be able to take part.

During the English trials electric scooters can be used on roads, including cycle lanes, and also on off-road cycle paths, but not on pavements, but Glasgow, which revealed in May it was the first Scottish city considering a scheme cannot say when it’ll start.

A Transport Scotland spokesperson told Scotland on Sunday, “The sudden decision on the imminent introduction of e-scooters was taken by the UK Government alone and without informing the Scottish Government in advance.

“Whilst the use of powered transporters and decisions around their introduction and associated legislative changes are primarily a matter for the UK Government, it is now clear additional legislation and associated guidance would be required in Scotland to allow trials to take place.

“This was not factored in to the timescale set by the Department for Transport (DfT), and as a result Scottish local authorities are unlikely to be able to participate in the initial trials.”