by Emma Grove

This 35-year-old woman has been pulled over by police 17 times in a month despite riding a perfectly legal bike - it just happens to be an eco-friendly electric bike.

Julie Willis, of Alexandra Road, Sheerness paid £700 for the 200 watt bike a month ago to take her two children to and from school.

After a five-hour charge overnight - which costs about 8p - the bike will go for about 50 miles, at a top speed of 15mph. Julie loves her new transport - except that it attracts some unwanted attention from the police.

She has been stopped 17 times by policemen in a month because they think the bike is a moped and she doesn’t wear a helmet. Her 10-year-old daughter and five-year-old son do always wear hats.

PC Warren Jarvis, traffic officer for Swale, said: "Sometimes these electric bikes can be mistaken for the smaller types of moped, which do need to be registered, taxed and insured.

"In law, as long as they meet certain criteria such as being less then 250 watts in power, electric bikes are treated virtually the same as push bikes and are subject to the same rules and regulations.

"We would advise riders of electric bikes to have proper lights and a bell and to wear cycling helmets and high visibility clothing. Rest assured, we would have had this lady's best interests at heart."