THE owner of an Oxford business is offering a £1,000 reward for an electric scooter which could become the ‘first legal’ one in the UK.

The one-off prototype has been in development for the last two years, but was stolen on Sunday night.

The business owner, who did not wish to be named, said: “It’s a very novel product that we wanted to develop.

“We know the electric scooter will come at some point in the future.

The stolen electric scooter

The stolen electric scooter

“These scooters are not legal in the UK at the moment, but this scooter would be the first in the world where you pedal.

“It has two step boards which work in a linear motion.

“It would be the first legal electric scooter.”

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Currently, electric scooters are classified as a Personal Light Electric Vehicle (PLEV) because they are powered by a motor.

The stolen prototype would change that due to the pedalling motion and step boards.

“The scooter stolen was the first prototype and we are constantly changing and adding bits to it,” the business owner added.

“It’s not ready for the public, it’s a development vehicle.

“We’re a small company and cannot mass reproduce it so it means a lot to us.”

Call police on 101, quoting reference number 43210164046.