A man was arrested following reports of a mobility scooter being driven along the A419.

Police were called to the northbound carriageway of the busy A-road, between Blunsdon and Calcutt, shortly before 3pm on Monday, August 12.

Shortly afterwards a man in his 40s and a mobility scooter were located just off the A419, and he was allegedly found to have no insurance.

Officers subsequently arrested him on suspicion of a drug driving offence and driving without insurance.

He has been released under investigation while police continue their enquiries.

Sgt Will Ayres, of the Roads Policing Unit, said: “We really do see some ridiculous behaviour on our roads each day – driving a mobility scooter on the busy A419 could have caused a really serious collision.

“We hear so many excuses from drivers when they are stopped for offences such as drink or drug driving, or using a phone whilst behind the wheel – often people tell us they just didn’t expect to get stopped.

“It is this careless and selfish attitude that leads to avoidable collisions and it is these collisions which we are doing our best to prevent to ensure our roads are as safe as possible.”

The A419The A419 (Image: Dave Cox)

The incident on the A419 was just one of multiple road-related arrests made by police in recent days.

The force is continuing to patrol Wiltshire’s roads as part of the second week of a road safety campaign carrying the message #NoExcuse.

On Monday, August 12, a Bristol man was arrested after being observed driving erratically on the M4 between junctions 15 and 16 at Swindon.

55-year-old Bahman Salahshour, of Dorchester Road, was subsequently charged with drink driving and is due to appear at Swindon Magistrates Court on August 28.

On Sunday, August 11, 31-year-old Giorgi Kodua, of Victoria Road in Swindon, was allegedly witnessed driven erratically in Hoopers Place.

He was subsequently charged with drink driving.

On the same day, a woman in her 40s was arrested in Longhedge after officers stopped her vehicle and she reportedly failed a roadside breath test.

On Monday, August 12, a man in his 20s from Devon was arrested on suspicion of drug driving at Badbury.

Sgt Ayres added: “Every day, officers from all areas are policing our roads – these are just some of the examples of the arrests made in relation to fatal five offences over the past couple of days.

“Fatal five offences are those that are most likely to cause someone to be involved in a serious injury or fatal collision.”