Drunk people who ride mobility scooters after a session in the pub face arrest, police in Canterbury have said.

The warning comes after four scooters were spotted parked outside a city pub – with at least one driven away by a man who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.

Chef Ted Phillips was outside the Westgate Inn when he saw a man clamber on to the vehicle and drive off erratically along the pavement before swerving into North Lane.

The 47-year-old, of Oaten Hill, said: “This bloke was about 60 and you could tell without a shadow of a doubt that he had been drinking. He was patently a seasoned drinker rather than someone with a disability.

“Our advice is if you are going to drink alcohol, get someone to take you to and from the pub or you will risk being arrested” - Sgt Dave Knox, Kent Police

“It was late morning, but this place opens at 8am and there are people waiting to be let in at that time. Let’s be honest, that’s why people go there at 8 or 9 in the morning.

“This bloke I saw shot off after getting onto the scooter. He drove off the kerb and into the road before rejoining the pavement.

“There must be people who aren’t disabled, but just use them as a way of getting around.

“My concern is that if they hit you, I’m sure they wouldn’t be insured. You’d be left out of pocket and you would lose your no claims bonus.”

The 1988 Road Traffic Act defines what a mechanically propelled vehicle is and Sgt Dave Knox, of Kent Police’s traffic unit, explained: “A mobility scooter is a mechanically propelled vehicle and it is an offence to drive one while under the influence.

“Our advice is if you are going to drink alcohol, get someone to take you to and from the pub or you will risk being arrested.”

With an increasingly ageing and immobile population, more and more people are using mobility scooters as a way of getting around.

Cllr Ben Fitter, who represents the Blean Forest ward on the city council, spent a day driving one around Canterbury to see for himself what issues users face.

He found their speeds very low, but that they were nonetheless a vital method of transport for elderly and disabled people.

The Conservative said: “I’m sure the vast majority use them responsibly, and I personally have certainly never seen a scooter being driven dangerously, but of course there will be the odd exceptions.

“Perhaps letting the police know would have been the best approach in this instance if the bystander was particularly concerned.

“Otherwise, besides possibly banging their scooter up a bit, the rider was probably as much of a danger to himself and others as anyone who has had too much to drink would be.”

Wetherspoons spokesman Eddie Gershon declined to comment.

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