Call for crackdown on 'erratic and dangerous' mobility scooter drivers in Mansfield town centre

Peter Henson, of Ladybrook, who drives a mobility scooter himself, often scoots into the town centre for shopping and errands.

But the 70-year-old has noticed fellow scooter users are not sticking to the speed limit.

He said: “In a built-up area, the limit is only four miles per hour.

“If you’re going faster than anybody who’s walking, then you’re speeding, but I can’t get this through to anyone.”

Mr Henson wants to make mobility scooter users aware of the speed limit, which is designed to ensure they match the pace of the average pedestrian.

However, he said a lack of signs and information mean many drivers will not know unless they are told.

He said: “Every time I tell someone to slow down I get a mouthful of abuse, sometimes two fingers, and they say ‘it’s my scooter, I’ll drive as fast as I want’.

“No-one takes notice. As soon as you’re out of sight, they speed off again.”

Mr Henson fears it is only a matter of time until someone gets seriously hurt by one of the “erratic drivers”.

He said: “I saw one man, and instead of staying behind someone, he was weaving in and out and he actually knocked somebody over.

“Someone’s only got to step out of a shop when one comes past and wallop, they’ve been hit.

“It’s dangerous if you’re going at speed, whereas at 4mph, the worst you’ll give them is a bruise.”

He is calling on local authorities to install speed limit signs before any major accidents happen.

“Everybody seems to be passing the buck,” he said.

“Since October I’ve had no solid response. I was told a street warden was notified about the problem, but I’ve lived here 30 years and I’ve never seen one.

“What we ideally want are some signs and some patrol men who can enforce it. It’s time something was done.”

A Mansfield Council spokesman said: “The scooters are restricted to certain speeds. If they are used inappropriately then it is a police matter.”

Nottinghamshire Police have been approached for comment.