The 'nana bunch

South Yorkshire Police have charged a Segway rider with breaking the 1835 Highways Act by riding the gyro-hog on the pavement.

Phillip Coates, 51, was collared by coppers in Barnsley while whooshing down to the shops on the self-balancing two wheeler.

A local copper stopped him because he was riding on the pavement. Coates bought the device after trying one out while on holiday in Florida.

"I've used it ever since for going to work and for trips into Barnsley," he told the Daily Mail. "They are perfectly safe and I've even let my mum, who is 86, have a go on it."

While he has been stopped in the past he heard no more about it from the police. This time the copper took a more serious view of the matter, and charged Coates with riding a motor vehicle on the pavement under the Highways Act 1835.

Mr Coates has pleaded not guilty to the charge. If nothing else he can argue the toss over whether the electro-pogo-sticks are indeed motorised.

The Star quotes solicitor Victoria Molloy, of Howard and Co, saying: "Hopefully it will go some way to providing a basis for legal regulation in the UK. Until now no-one has ever been charged with an offence in order for this to be challenged in law."

A DoT spokesman told the paper: "Current legislation restricts Segway use in the UK to private land such as airports and shopping malls. We would require robust evidence to support the benefits and further consideration of the risks posed to users and others before reviewing this."

Bit hard to charge someone under an Act that was created before Karl Benz had his brainwave, but the internal combustion engine had been thought of in 1835, just not applied to any vehicle. Though, as noted, got to argue about the motorisation...