COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

A DISABLED man has been arrested for 'drink-driving' while giving a lift home to his friend on the back of his MOBILTY SCOOTER.

CCTV image

Nigel Lee Drummond was caught on CCTV cameras careering through Darlington at speeds of 8mph with a pal on the back.

The 37-year-old, who walks with the help of crutches but uses the scooter for long distances, was three times over the limit when police finally caught up with him following a night out in the Route 66 bar.

Normal drink driving rules do not apply to mobility scooters but he was prosecuted under an obscure law dating from Victorian times of being drunk in charge of a carriage.

PC Kevin Salter, from Darlington Police, said: "Although mobility scooters do not travel at great speed, they can still be very dangerous.

"They can pose risks to the user and other members of the public when they are not being used correctly.

"We urge that anyone wanting to consume alcohol seeks alternative transport."

Swerving

Footage captured by camera operators shows Drummond and his friend struggling to get on the scooter as they leave the club.

After rummaging in his pocket for his keys, the pair get on board and set off, swerving quickly into the road and narrowly missing a group of revellers going into the club.

The scooter then draws up to the kerb as the men start to chat with a group of women.

They appear to offer them a lift, but move on again when their advances are rebuffed.

The scooter then disappears into an underpass, before it emerges in a nearby street, as Drummond swerves across the middle of the road to avoid speed bumps.

He was given a six-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £65 costs.

PC Salter said: "He was very drunk. A number of people use these scooters and it can be a problem, especially at this time of year."

A repentant Drummond backed the police's campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of driving a mobility scooter after drinking.

He said: "My scooter only goes at 8mph, but if I had hit somebody with it, it would have hurt. When I saw the CCTV footage in court, I felt about an inch big."