Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's just granny on an electric scooter.

Increasing numbers of the elderly population are finding trips around town a lot easier with their very own motorised vehicle.

But questions are being asked about the safety of a heavy metal object driven at 8mph by someone whose reactions may not be as sharp as they could be.

Calls have been made for compulsory third- party insurance, particularly after the accidental death of an 88-year-old Eastbourne man who was struck by a scooter decked out in Formula One livery.

The scooters do not currently require the drivers, dubbed 'silver haired racers', to have passed a test or hold any insurance.

And although 84-year-old Margaret Thompson told Backchat she had never hit anyone, she did say she had experienced "a few mishaps" with shop displays.

Keep an eye out.

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