The boyfriend of YouTube vlogger Emily Hartridge has spoken out about his devastation after she died in a road accident.

Emily, 35, was given a £400 Xiaomi electric scooter as a surprise birthday present in May - and she shared the moment on YouTube just days before she died in the crash involving a lorry on July 12.

In the video, boyfriend Jake Hazell told Emily: "This is the one you can use to (get to) work. It's electric and apparently the best one in the game."

Jake, a personal trainer, said she was on her way for a scan at a fertility clinic as they were planning a family.

Jake said Emily was on her way for a scan at a fertility clinic on the day of the accident (
Image:
Instagram)

He told The Sun on Sunday that he gave Emily a kiss on the lips before he headed out at 5am and she mumbled 'I love you'.

He said: "She messaged me at 8:24am, joking 'How about less of the early morning kisses on the lips?' I had no idea that would be her last message to me."

Jake, 26, later found he could not reach Emily on WhatsApp or call her - and the clinic said she did not turn up to her appointment.

Jake said he had a sinking feeling when he saw a road accident on the way home (
Image:
Instagram)

Feeling panic, Jake got on his bike and headed back towards their flat near Battersea, south London, and noticed a road accident.

He asked the police if it involved a woman called Emily on a scooter and if she was seriously injured. His world fell apart when the officers told him she was pronounced dead at the scene.

A witness's GoPro camera showed Emily riding a battery-powered scooter, which had a top speed of 18mph, in the cycle lane before appearing to hit a bump in the road and being jolted to the path of a passing lorry, it is reported.

Emily, who had 70,000 followers on Instagram where she raised awareness about mental heal issues, had become the first person to die on Britain's road while riding an electric scooter.

Emily was a popular social media figure, with 350,000 YouTube subscribers and 70,000 Instagram followers (
Image:
TIM STEWART NEWS LIMITED)

Jake said she was always wearing a helmet and being conscientious on the roads, but the pair had no idea it's illegal to use e-scooters on public roads and pavements.

The 26-year-old said: "People have told me I'm to blame because I bought it for her, but I can't think that. Her family have told me I'm not. They said I shouldn't feel guilty and it wasn't my fault.

"It was an awful accident and Emily knew the risks she was taking. I went to stay with her parents and her sisters, who were devastated but so sopportive."

Emily's tragic accident has sparked a debate on how the motorised vehicles should be regulated.

Emily was just 35 when she died (
Image:
Joe Pepler/REX)

Less than 24 hours after her death, a 14-year-old boy was critically injured in Beckenham, South East London.

Electric scooters, which cost up to £200, are powered by an electric motor, reaching speeds of more than of 30 miles per hour.

At present, it is unlawful to ride e-scooters on public roads in the UK. They can only be used on private land.

In the days after her death, a flurry of e-scooters continued to whizz past the spot where she died, the Daily Mail reported .

Noel Forrest, 35, one of Emily's friends, said: "Clearly e-scooters are not safe. Why allow the sale of something that is not safe? The existing ban on them should be enforced."