17/12/2012 Inside Out South West

Hello, welcome. The stories and investigations from where you live.

Mobility or liability? They are more popular than ever, but

accidents involving mobility scooters are on the rise. We meet

the Plymouth pedestrian hospitalised. The irony is I need a

mobility scooter. Get set, go. wonderful world of Devon's

Widecombe fair. We have had horses, but never a pantomime horse. It

cheated. It ran around and it was supposed to jump. And 50 years

after it closed, the Devon branch line that is back on track. I can't

believe it. I really can't believe it. It is wonderful. I am Sam Smith.

This is Inside Out South West. Mobility scooters give freedom to

disabled people in the south-west who might otherwise be stuck at

home. But accidents involving them are on the increase. Some people

have even been killed. Now there are calls for compulsory training.

We have been investigating. Britain's roads and pavements are

teeming with mobility scooters. Around 300,000 at the last count

and rising. For many, they are a lifeline. For others, they are a

menace. Mobility scooters are big, strong and can do a lot of damage.

People are getting hurt. People are getting killed using these because

they do not know how to use them safely. A quick trip to the shops

ended in hospital for Graham. Battered, bruised and broken, he is

the latest victim of a scooter accident. I went for a loaf of

bread and as I stepped out of the shop I got hit by what in effect

turned out to be a mobility scooter. It was a shock. It knocked me eight

feet. I broke my hip. And my left shoulder. I have had an operation

on both. The accident left Graham semi-conscious on the pavement. The

scooter driver was also shaken by the condition. She sat in shock, if

anything. I looked at her and I felt sorry for her. She did not

leave their house to hurt somebody, did she? I didn't leave the house

to get hurt either. It was a lose- lose situation for both of us and

with the police being involved, I believe, she would have been

traumatised as well. While Graham was taken to hospital, the scooter

ended up among the mangled racks in a police garage. -- mangled wrecks.

It is now being checked to see if the speed setting was on 4mph, the

legal limit for pavement use. common with scooters, people are

being involved in collisions on the road and the pavement. This is a

Class 3. Unfortunately, this is 140 kilos and with the driver on top of

that, it is a considerable weight to be on the pavement. And to hit

somebody? Indeed. The inspector found the driver was not breaking

the speed limit. In the past three years, Devon and Cornwall police

have recorded around 200 public safety incidents involving mobility

scooters. Police have limited powers to prosecute because they

are classified as medical devices, not vehicles, and are outside the

law. Legislation does not cover them under the Road Traffic Act,

unlike a motorcycle or car. We are limited to to deal with people

involved with these. This is what is left of a scooter driven by a

man who had been drinking. Out at night with no lights and on a main

road, the scooter was hit by a car. The rider was seriously injured,

but he was not prosecuted. Somebody could go to the pub, have a skinful

and come out and drive it, have an accident and not be prosecuted?

Bizarrely, yes. Obviously I would not advocate that but it does

happen. The Government is urged to make scooter use safer. Leading the

calls is a Plymouth MP. Some action has to be taken to ensure standards

are maintained in terms of safety of these vehicles and basic

training ought to be undertaken by all users. Norman Baker the

Minister said he was reviewing this when I had my debate some months

ago, in March, and we have not heard anything and that is why I am

chasing him. I need to know what the outcome is of his consultations.

It is in the interests of all road users and in pedestrian areas that

we try to improve safety for everybody. She has had one success.

Police will now have to record accidents involving scooters.

will be accidents on the road. They will not take account of the ones

on the pavement. There will be some reporting. It will help to identify

the nature of the problem and we can move on from there. The few

rules there are about scooters have not changed since the days of the

invalid carriage, which have been obsolete since the 1970s. Scott

says he would be lost without his scooter. With arthritis and heart

problems, he cannot walk very far. It is a lifeline. I would not be

able to get out of the flat without it. Every year around Christmas,

the former soldier decks his scooter with tinsel and all the

trimmings. I do it every year, for the kiddies. They come to accept it

because I have been on it for a few years. If I go down and I haven't

got it on, "Where is the Christmas stuff, Mr?". He has had no

accidents in his eight years as a scooter rider. He does not feel

welcome on the pavements or the roads but he says he has no choice.

They won't allow us to use a bus lane or cycle path. If you are

doing eight miles an hour you have to go on the road. That puts you in

the middle of the road. You have the cars hooting at you. Get off

the road! You do not... Where do you stand, what do you do? Cornish

safety campaigner John says it is up to disabled people to ride

responsibly. And not like this. A scooter used as a carpet carrier in

Somerset. There is no restriction on who can buy them and who can

sell them. There is no restriction on who can use them. You would not

put a person who cannot drive a car and say off you go, put them on a

motorbike and say off you go. says it is obvious what needs to be

done. Legislation saying the vehicles must be checked every 12

months like a car, to make sure they are safe. Training. It does

not take a lot of training. It means building a person's

competence. John's wife Betty is getting her first lesson from

trainer Simon. Do you drive a car? I do not. Until now, Betty has been

too nervous to use one. Put the key in. Right, turn it. Do not touch

that one or that one. I was a little bit scared, because when you

first get on one, they tend to run away with you. Go too fast. I did

not realise how to slow it down. Betty soon gets into gear. And

within an hour, she is braving the open road. I certainly feel more

confident. She is convinced insurance is a must. If you do

knock someone over on it, that person does not have a leg to stand

Meanwhile, Graham has learned the police are taking no action against

the woman who knocked him down. When something happens it happens.

You have to deal with it. The irony is that it is me who now needs a

mobility scooter! It is serious because somebody could be killed.

The Department for Transport says it is looking at bringing in a test

for new users. Campaigners believe that is the only way to take the

liability out of mobility. Every year, hundreds of people

gather in a Dartmoor village from far and wide to celebrate an event

that has been going on for the best part of 200 years. That village

happens to be the home of Tony Beard, the Wag of Widecombe. Here

is his personal take on the celebrations.

It is early autumn in Widecombe. The harvest is well under way and

they are busy baling down at Chittleford Farm. Up on the moors,

cattle, sheep and ponies have been enjoying warm sunshine before the

onset of winter. Hello, here is local tree surgeon Geoff Partridge.

He is training for the famous annual event. The terrain you run

over. It is quite treacherous. It is not uncommon for people to come

out with bleeding legs and twisted ankles. There is more training

going on outside the Rugglestone Inn. Although the landlords appear

more interested in the contents of the barrel. I walked around the car

park, a couple of beers, all going well. Full steam ahead, ready for

the big day. Here is one of the big day's real stars. Getting a

makeover in preparation for her central role. Next Tuesday, you

will fill yourself up with peppermints and buns and goodies.

Then she shall go to the ball. In a few days, a peaceful village will

be transformed. If you still haven't worked out why, this is a

clue from inside the church. Uncle Tom Cobley and all

The glorious morning greets us all, When it started, they sold cattle

and sheep. Those days have long gone. It has turned into a

We have a full programme of events. To give you some idea, we have a

wonderful display of sheep, cattle, horses, early this morning. We've

got two special breeds of sheep up on Dartmoor - the Dartmoor White

Face, whose faces, as the name And then there's the Dartmoor Grey

The grey faces are one of the author's native breeds in the world.

The used to run on the moor, and unfortunately they went out of

favour, but in the past 10 years, there has been a resurgence. I

think they're very attractive to the eye. They are one of the most

attractive breeds. People see them at the show wasn't like the

appearance of them. The Fair is serious business for all those

people who go to the trouble of bringing their animals down here

And this is pretty serious too. We have 18 separate horse and pony

events at Widecombe Fair, all hotly He we have the results. This was

first, the second was Mary-Jane But Widecombe Fair is not all about

serious competition, we like to have a bit of fun too, and once the

horses and ponies are safely out of The idea for the terrier races came

from that man we saw earlier running on the moor. It goes right-

back, obviously no horses were on the fair because there was equine

flu, so they did terrier racing. It has come from there. It should be a

simple affair. The terriers are given a sniff of the lure before

But it seldom goes according to plan. This lot - or perhaps I

should say their owners, can't wait Geoff certainly has his work cut

out trying to keep this lot in Widecombe Fair is only possible

because of all the hard work put in by countless local people. We'll

see Geoff in his main event later but for now he's taking a well-

earned rest with Uncle Tom Cobley, Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer and the

rest of the crowd. But where's the old grey mare? Well, she's getting

some star treatment just around the corner While Geoff and the grey

mare are enjoying their break, our village's namesake makes a special

Do you expect to win? No. You are under starter's orders. On your

Ann Widdecombe is just the person we need to keep this lot on the

straight and narrow. But that's by no means an easy task, and at the

end of the race she's forced into a controversial decision. You ran

round the side. I saw you. You disqualified. Number five is the

winner. By the time I got to the car park, the stewards there had

already heard. This has caused quite a stir. They have never had

people disqualified. It cheated, it ran round the huddle. It won't do.

After the pantomime derby it's back to the serious stuff. In the

committee tent, they're busy writing out certificates for all

those who enter our next event - the Uncle Tom Cobley Novelty Race,

Runners are dropped off on top of the moor and it's up to them how

they get to the bottom because Geoff Partridge is up there

somewhere. He's won this race four times but there's a lot of young

This year's winner is 20-year-old local lad Peter Mann, but Geoff's

The first path of the run I was on my own, I joined up with a first

group, two fields from the finish, but they had two young legs for me.

I could not keep up. I'm really pleased. Coming 5th is good. Most

of these runners will be glad to get home and put their feet up. But

not Geoff. As the day winds down and the beer begins to flow, Geoff

is still at it - this time helping It's one of the day's last

competitions - most of the Fair has now packed up and either gone home

This year we were blessed with some fine weather and the day was a

great success. God willing, we'll all be back next year to enjoy

another wonderful day out at This is the wonderfully scenic

route of an old train line that once ran from Devon into the heart

of Dartmouth. Like so many others, it closed in the 1950s. It never

reopened. Do not underestimate the dogleg determination of though his

-- those who love the old railways, because we had the story of one

For more than 100 years, the many branch lines of the South West

Opening up the wildest of places to city dwellers like Aubrey Hawke.

was a lifeline for me to go to the Mirror lands. I'd catch the train

to Shaugh, walk up to the Aubrey was a regular on the popular

South Devon and Tavistock line which ran through the picturesque

I've actually seen the platforms so packed with people, they were all

down the little approach, almost as far back as the bridge. They came

home after that being out on the day. But in 1962 the line was axed.

Aubrey couldn't resist one final trip on its last day. I read this

in the Evening Herald, but the line was going to close, and the printed

the Times of the train, which was 10:40am from Plymouth. They were

hoping I would be the last person. But as Aubrey headed for the

station, wintry weather was closing in. The sensible people had stayed

at home. Lo and behold, I'm the only person standing, so I wait

around with my little camera. The train arrives, and I thought I

would take up a photograph, and then take the train to Tavistock.

The weather got worse. It was a white-haired, really. All the trees

were covered in heavy snow. I was quite relieved to get a Tavistock.

He was right to be relieved. As the blizzards continued, trains became

One fought its way back to Plymouth, carrying Aubrey, its last ever

passenger. It was quite a day. Quite an event. Aubrey made it home,

When the thaw came, the closed line fell into disrepair. But where

Volunteers have been resurrecting They've done just over a mile

through the Plym Valley. It's taken When you are asking people were

basically retired, or office workers to come out and physically

get wet, do hard manual labour, not everybody wants to do it. From

painting, kneeling, screwing, welding, everybody brings a lot to

the railway, and what you see today is the effort we have all put in

over 30 years to make it this. they're heading for a major event.

On 30th December, exactly 50 years after the line closed, a newly

rebuilt stretch will open to the public. These gates mark the start

of the extra half mile. The track is being settled, then we will have

some training, it used to using this section of line, and hopefully

These gates were hand-built by this volunteer. His approach moment?

I've spent quite a bit of time making these gates, it is fantastic.

Another piece of the jigsaw. who should be the first passenger

to go all the way? Who else, but the LAST passenger from 50 years

Waiting room, I did not think I would see this again. Wonderful.

Nice to see you back. Wonderful, 50 years since we did this. Thank you

very much indeed. Time to see what inflation has done to ticket prices.

One ticket please. This is your ticket, the very first one.

much is that? 10p, especially for you. For Paul, the trip will mark

the end of a long struggle. I feel relieved, I have completed my

effort which was to get the track back. The effort was to lay the

line back to the bridge, we have done that. We have been a long time

building, now we want to start playing with it. 50 years after he

last stepped on this line, Aubrey is back. Just as then, there's a

For Aubrey, it's the second trip of Wonderful, this is really first-

class. It's been a long time since I really can't believe this. It's

wonderful. 15 minutes later, Thank you very much, gentlemen.

Thank you for coming down and been part of her special day. Hopefully

see you again. Nice to see you. Glad you enjoyed it. Nice to me you.

It is nice to be back, 30 years of hard labour. There are tears.

People can come and enjoy what we've done. Hopefully we can

develop it and finish it off. It feels great. They are happy to be

Thank you to everyone involved with this railway, congratulations on