MOBILITY scooter users will be given advice on how to use their vehicles responsibly at a special event at Boscombe.

Police Community Support Officer Lewis Gilmore will be at the Sovereign shopping centre on Thursday explaining the relevant sections of the Highway Code and handing out leaflets, summarising its guidance.

The event will also feature free, professional mobility scooter servicing and repair, as well as the opportunity to discuss the local health and social care services available to mobility scooter users. Mobility scooters are a vital lifeline for many disabled residents but police are keen to ensure they are used responsibly.

A similar safety drive was launched in Christchurch after a hit-and-run incident last year, in which a 63-year-old woman was knocked to the floor by a mobility scooter rider.

And earlier this year, the Echo revealed how astonished motorists were forced to slam on their brakes after a man decided to take his dog for a walk tied to a mobility scooter.

He was spotted trundling along the busy A351 with his dog tied to the back of his vehicle.

The Highway Code states mobility scooters must never be used on motorways but can be used on unrestricted dual carriageways, although this is not advised.

It advises people to ride on the pavement wherever possible at a speed not exceeding 4mph and to give pedestrians priority. If driven on the road, riders should travel in the direction of traffic and take extra care. They are also obliged to follow the same rules about using lights, indicators and horns as other road vehicles.