Plea to minister on 'mini-moto' bikes

11.07.17am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 9th Dec 2005

Safe use of a mini-moto bike

Cllr David Gray has written to the minister Paul Goggins MP about the sale and use of mini-motos.

He said,

" What concerns me is that these bikes are freely on sale, sometimes with only the minimum of safety information. They are being misused on the road when they are really only for use on private land with the permission of the owner of the land.

The minister responsible, Paul Goggins MP said in July that he would look into the possibility of encouraging retailers to do more to advise buyers about how to mini-motos safely.

I wrote to Tesco in Canal Road who sell mini-motos and they replied saying ' It comes with instructions on how it should be used safely. It is then entirely up to the purchaser to ensure that it is used correctly and in a safe environment.'

I don't accept that. Thousands of mini-motos will be bought as Christmas presents for young people and the last thing anyone wants to see is a rise in accidents as a direct result.

The police can take action but prevention is better than cure and I expect the retail trade to do more. The minister should take action and force retailers to give buyers clear information and strong advice."