Scooter man faces abuse (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Scooter man faces abuse

8:48am Tuesday 19th February 2008 in News By Peggy Clatworthy

A TEWKESBURY man who can only walk a few feet is upset at the abuse he gets whilst using his mobility scooter in Tewkesbury.

Ben Bloxsome, 61, suffers from serious osteoarthritis and needs his scooter to do the normal things in life like going shopping with his wife Mary.

He has had it for seven years, but is now worried about going into town because of the comments he gets from pedestrians.

His painful condition had confined him to bed when the Admag called, but Mary said: "People tell him that he is a nuisance and to get out of the way, or that he should be riding on the road."

She added that things have got worse since February 2 when 84-year-old Audrey Lane was knocked over by a man on a mobility scooter in the High Street. "I feel very sorry for her, but that was just one person's mistake," she said.

She explained that the scooters are fitted with a lever, which the driver has to hold on to at all times, "if they let go it stops straight away," she said.

She added that because Ben never goes anywhere without her, he never travels at more than walking pace, although the machines can do eight miles an hour.