The simple answer is no, not even on the pavement.

In the news today a man riding home on his scooter at less than 4 mph, Eamonn Donohoe wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry and didn’t appear to be a menace to pedestrians.

But when the drunken Irishman ignored a policeman’s attempt to flag him down, the local constabulary decided to take no chances.

As Mr Donohoe, 62, was trundling along the pavement near his sheltered bungalow he found himself surrounded by eight police officers and three marked vehicles.

One patrol car mounted the kerb to block his way and after failing a roadside breath test the disabled grandfather was locked in police cells for 12 hours, fingerprinted, photographed and had a DNA swab taken.

Mr Donohoe, who had drunk six or seven pints during an evening playing dominoes with friends at a local club, was three times over the limit.

He later admitted driving a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst over the limit on 20th April and was given a three year driving ban by magistrates at Chesterfield.

However, despite the nature of the offence he is legally free to continue riding his mobility scooter.

But the bizarre episode has left the retired construction worker from Old Whittington, Chesterfield, feeling disillusioned with the forces of law and order.

He said:’I can’t believe how they treated me – anybody would think that I was a bank robber or a member of Al-Qaeda.

‘The police are always saying they’re short of resources, and then go and employ eight officers arresting someone like me. It’s completely mad, and a total waste of public money.

‘When someone broke into my home and stole my TV and my video two years ago the police didn’t turn up for three days, and yet they can drop everything for something as daft as this. There’s no wonder the police get it in the neck.

‘They must have known, like I did, that the rules of the road don’t apply when you’re riding a mobility scooter down the pavement at three and a half miles an hour, but it didn’t seem to matter one jot.

‘I didn’t stop at first because I wanted to get home, and I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Then a police car turned up all of a sudden, and pulled up right across the footpath stopping me dead.

‘A police van pulled alongside me, and another car parked up on the road behind me so I couldn’t turn round. It was just like something out of a film.

‘There were eight police officers there altogether, and one of them grabbed the keys from the scooter, and said: “Come on – get off that!”

‘When they asked me to do breath test I said: “Don’t be stupid, I’m an old aged pensioner on a mobility scooter – I’m not blowing into anything,” but they insisted so I had to in the end.

‘They actually wanted to put me in handcuffs, but they stopped short of doing it in the end.’

Mr Donohoe, who is handicapped with blocked arteries in his legs, and can only walk a few yards unaided, intends to carry on riding backwards and forwards to see his friends to play dominoes at his local club once a week.

The divorcee, who has three children and ten grandchildren, added – said:’It’s not as if I’m going down the pavement swerving from side to side, and putting people at risk. I’m not a danger to anyone.’

A Derbyshire Police spokeswoman said: ‘He failed a breath test when he was stoppped, and was charged with driving a mechanically propelled vehicle while over the limit.

‘We cannot comment on how many officers dealt with the incident, but a person driving any kind of vehicle when they’re drunk are a danger to themselves and other people as well.’

Folding mobility scooters are great when you need to store them or put them into the car for transporting. When the scooter is fully folded you need it to go in the boot easily and if the heaviest part is too heavy to lift there are scooter lifts to do the job for you.

There are some important things to remember though when using a folding scooter.

Here are some of them:

• Remember: Anything you loosen to fold the scooter remember to tighten before using it. Always make sure the tiller is locked properly and secure. The tiller is your steering column and it is crucial that is both locked and secure.
• Ensure that if there is something either side of the scooter – for example, the arms – to always adjust them equally. You don’t want to find they are lopsided once you are using the scooter. This could be dangerous foir you, or damage the vehicle.
• Speaking of arms. These are generally designed for comfort, not helping you transfer into and out of the scooter. They often cannot take much weight, but always make sure the arm latches are locked after the scooter has been folded back up, before any weight is put on the arms.
• Before you use the scooter for real, practice folding it down to store it or putting it in the boot. You can take your time to make sure you know exactly how to fold down your scooter and will find the best and easiest way for you.
• Also it is important to identify any ‘pinch points’ your scooter may have. These are places that can easily trap your skin or clothes if you are not aware of them or do not handle your scooter correctly.
• Before you buy your scooter, make sure you (or your assistant) can lift the heaviest part of your scooter.
• Check the area where you are going to store your scooter. Is is suitable and big enough to easily place the scooter? Some compact scooters fold up very small and can be stored inside – even in a cupboard. Some foldable scooters can even be stored vertically – standing on their rear bumpers.