11:28am Wednesday 25th July 2007
A PENSIONER led police in a chase along a busy dual carriageway before giving them the slip - on his mobility scooter.
The low-speed pursuit started when police asked the stubborn senior citizen to pull over but he defiantly cranked his scooter to its top speed of 8mph.
The chase caused traffic chaos as the OAP crawled down the fast lane of the A1032 in Middlesbrough before the officers lost him.
Engineer, Ian Hardy, from Darlington said he could not believe his eyes as he watched the chase unfold on the A1032 Newport Bridge Approach Road on Monday afternoon.
"It was just incredible," said Ian, who captured the action on camera.
"It was so bizarre. He came along in the outside lane with a queue of traffic behind him and a panda car to his left.
"Most motorists were having a bit of a laugh. It was so strange.
"You don't expect something like that on a busy road. It was like a bit of a circus."
The determined OAP veered onto the Cannon Park roundabout where he gave red-faced officers the slip.
"They asked us, 'Excuse me - have you seen a bloke on an electric scooter?'," added Ian, who was out walking at the time.
"The two in the police car looked a bit sheepish to have lost a battery-powered scooter.
"I bet they'll be the toast of the nick."
A police van joined the pursuit and when officers eventually caught up with the pensioner, he was escorted to safety.
"Where they went from there, I can't imagine," said Ian.
Cleveland Police confirmed that the man eventually pulled over and officers spoke to him and helped him get out of harm's way.
Traffic officer, PC Steve Garner, who was not involved in the chase, said the scooter was road legal, although some are not.
"There are two types - Class two and Class three.
"Class two is limited to 4mph and generally stays on footpaths.
"Class three is limited to 8mph and can go on roads or footpaths," he said.
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