Lifestyle adviser, with a large YouTube following, was killed in collision in south London

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Tributes have poured in for a TV presenter and YouTube star after she died in an electric scooter crash – the first fatal collision involving an e-scooter in Britain.

Emily Hartridge died on Friday morning when her e-scooter collided with a lorry at a roundabout in Battersea, south-west London.

The 35-year-old was one of the first wave of social media stars, becoming famous seven years ago for her “Ten Reasons Why ...” videos that took a comic look at modern life.

After gaining 3m views a month, she began presenting TV shows including 4OD’s Oh Sh*t I’m 30 and interviewed actors including Eddie Redmayne and Hugh Jackman.

Her death was announced on her Instagram account:

“We all loved her to bits and she will never be forgotten,” the message said.

“She has touched so many lives it’s hard to imagine things without her. She was a very special person xxx.”

There were tributes to her from other TV presenters including Davina McCall and Zoe Hardman, Radio 1 DJ Chris Stark and musician Harry Gardner.

“My heart goes out to Emily’s family and friends,” McCall wrote. “Such a shock. Sending you love and prayers.”

Greg Jenner, the TV historian, said he had met her on a train five years ago. “By the end of the journey we’d shared all sorts of things about our mental health and insomnia. She was funny, kind and open-hearted.”

Police have been investigating the scene of the crash at Queen’s Circus roundabout, which was redesigned in 2015 to keep cyclists separated from other traffic. The new layout has been criticised as being confusing and last year a cyclist died after being hit by a bin lorry.

It is illegal to ride an e-scooter – or a Segway, Go-Ped or powered unicycle – on public roads in the UK as they are not considered to be roadworthy vehicles. Yet millions of people ride them in cities across Europe and the US, and growing numbers of e-scooters have been sold in the UK, prompting the government to review the law.

On Monday, transport minister Michael Ellis is due to meet Halfords and scooter share firms Lime, Bird and B Mobility to warn them that they must tell consumers about the law before they buy or hire an e-scooter.

“Micromobility products are appearing in countries across the globe and are an exciting innovation for which we know there is demand,” he said.

“However, safety must always be our top priority when considering their use on public highways in this country.

“The government is considering this as part of its regulatory review, as announced in March in the [policy paper] Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy.

“We are examining whether they can be used safely on the road – and if so, how that should be regulated to ensure the public’s safety. However, companies must understand that reviewing laws does not necessarily mean laws will change.

“People who use e-scooters need to be aware it is currently illegal to ride them on the pavement and the road.”

In 2010, the British owner of the Segway firm died after falling from one of his company’s machines in a freak accident.

Jimi Heselden had stopped the self-balancing two-wheeler at the top of a steep footpath above the River Wharfe in Yorkshire to let a walker go past him when he fell 13 metres into the river.