MOBILITY scooter users were joined by a city councillor for the day in an effort to highlight the problems faced by people using the vehicles in Derby.

The idea came about after pensioner Jean Wallace contacted Boulton ward councillor Ranjit Banwait and challenged him to find out for himself the difficulties she encountered on a daily basis.

Yesterday the pair, along with other users, travelled around Alvaston and identified overgrown hedges, vehicles parked on the pavement, bollards and a lack of drop kerbs as problems which needed to be tackled.

Mrs Wallace, 86, has been using a mobility scooter for five years after her eyesight deteriorated, meaning she was unable to drive her car any more.

She said: "I use my buggy to go to Shelton Lock to get my hair done and to Allenton and Alvaston to do my shopping.

"It gives me freedom to get out and about but it can be very hard work, especially getting on and off pavements. Ranjit had written to me about problems with boy racers so I wrote back and told him about my own problems and challenged him to come along with me one day."

Mr Banwait was provided with a scooter for the day by Mobility at Home, based in the Eagle Market, to enable him to take part in the challenge.

He said: "A lot of our district centres are just not particularly pedestrian-friendly and were designed at a time when mobility scooters were not really around. With an ageing population there are going to be more and more people using scooters and wheelchairs in the future.

"But it's not just about mobility scooter users – these issues affect senior citizens, parents with push chairs and the disabled.

"The positive thing about Alvaston is that it is in the process of being improved at the moment so hopefully some of these issues can be addressed."

During yesterday's event, the group travelled from Field Lane, along Shardlow Road, Harvey Road and into Alvaston district centre.

They met two vehicles which were parked on the pavement, stopping them from getting through.

They also encountered problems with hedges which had overgrown and were blocking the pavement.

Although it is not illegal to park on a pavement, a driver can be charged with obstruction if they block wheelchair users from passing them on the pavement.

Mr Banwait is now considering putting forward a motion asking Derby City Council to take up the issue and prioritise improvements such as providing more drop kerbs.