WINCHESTER'S Shopmobility centre has leapt to the defence of electric scooter users, the majority of which, it says, use them responsibly.

Its reassurance came after a 90-year-old man from Hampshire drove his privately owned scooter down the slip road on to the M27, after taking a wrong turn while leaving Whiteley Village shopping centre.

Last week, Winchester MP Mark Oaten said users of motorised wheelchairs and scooters should be forced to undergo training before being allowed to use them on pavements and roads.

The city's Shopmobility, which is part of Winchester Area Community Action, (WACA), hires out scooters and manual wheelchairs to shoppers who have difficulty getting about town.

Stuart Banks, transport services manager for WACA, emphasised that all users of the city's Shopmobility scheme were given training.

He said users have to register, and before they are able to go out on electric scooters - which have a maximum speed limit of 4mph - they have to fill in forms giving details about their general health, and pass an eye and manoeuvring test.

Mr Banks said: "We have never had any problems before.

"We have never heard of a scooter being driven on the motorway before. We are very proud of our safety record.

"I agree with Mr Oaten that people should be trained to use scooters, which is why we train people here how to use them before they go out.

"We pride ourselves on offering a good and thorough service which allows people with mobility problems to access the city."

Scooter manufacturers have admitted the number of accidents caused by mobility vehicles is on the rise, as increasing numbers of elderly people choose them over traditional wheelchairs to boost their quality of life.

Ray Hodgkinson, director general of the British Healthcare Trade Association, whose members build mobile vehicles, agreed suppliers should "assess" users.

Mary Milne, 80, from South Wonston, is a Shopmobility member and also owns a private scooter.

She said: "I didn't have any training when I bought my scooter.

"A lot of what I know about how to use it is what I have learnt through Shopmobility. "You have to use your common sense, don't go fast round corners, and you have to be aware of people around you.

"If you aren't sure about something, just ask someone."

Winchester Shopmobility has issued guidelines to using electric scooters safely: * Consider others; * Keep to appropriate speeds; * Remember that people, especially children, stop and change direction suddenly.

* Always follow the instructions; * Use drop kerbs where provided; * Never let anyone else use your scooter; * Never let additional passengers on scooters.