Paris is clamping down on the exponential use of electric scooters by forcing operators to sign a charter of good practice or face a total ban.

The French capital is awash with free-floating “trottinettes électriques”, as Parisians call them, with a string of companies such as Lime, Bird and Uber flooding the streets with the speedy devices.

While they have revolutionised mobility for Parisians and tourists, they have become the bane of motorists and pedestrians. With almost 250,000 e-scooters sold in France last year - a 129 per cent increase compared with 2017 - doctors also warn that they are facing a surge in accidents resulting from falls.

The problem has become acute in Paris where the rental fleet is estimated at 15,000 and growing fast. Users often fail to wear helmets despite many e-scooters reaching speeds of 37mph. One was even recently filmed at 53mph on a motorway near Paris.

A total of 284 people were injured and five killed in accidents involving scooters in 2017, the last year for which full figures are available. Élisabeth Borne, the French transport minister, said that their sudden arrival had been a “bit anarchic” and that they had brought “the law of the jungle” to French streets.