A Lancashire lad, just 22 months old, has received a verbal warning for driving his toy car on the pavement. Toddler Oliver Smith, who was driving along with his Grandad by his side, was pulled over by a police officer and warned that his electronic car - with a heady top speed of 2.5 miles an hour - would need an MOT, insurance and be properly taxed.

Oliver's dad, Richard, told reporters he was 'astonished that this officer took the time to pull over to say my boy needed tax and MoT. Haven't they got better things to be doing like catching proper criminals rather than wasting their time in this fashion? I am also amazed that the officer in question did not know the law and neither did his boss at the main police station when I telephoned to clarify the matter.'

The law in fact states that electrically-propelled pedal cycles and vehicles such as Oliver's jeep and certain classes of mobility scooters are exempt from being registered and taxed with the DVLA.

A slightly sheepish spokesman for Lancashire Police confirmed that 'a child's toy car that can only travel about 2-3mph does not come under the motor vehicle legislation. Having said that, we would always advise children not to play near to the highway as it can be very dangerous and they may not be seen easily by other road users. The ideal place for toys is on private property supervised by a responsible adult.'

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