A WHEELCHAIR user has described how he feared for his life when his motorised scooter sped out of control down a steep hill.

Eddie Frankland said he was "scared stiff" when his scooter, with a top speed of 8mph, careered down the one-in-six gradient at about 30mph.

The terrified 54-year-old was powerless to stop the machine after its brake system failed on a hill between Sacriston and Witton Gilbert, near Chester-le-Street.

Once Mr Frankland recovered his senses at the bottom of the hill, he also realised the scooter's motor had burnt out.

The £2,800 Shop Rider Sprinter, made by Penny and Giles, has been sent for tests at the Medical Devices Agency to determine its roadworthiness.

Mr Frankland, of Daleside, Sacriston, described how the four-wheel scooter started to jump and jerk as it negotiated the hill.

He said: "As I came down the hill the automatic breaks stopped working and it went speeding down the hill at between 25 and 30mph. I was scared stiff.

"I tried the handbrake and that pulled me to one side - the side of the road that was on the edge of a 50ft drop into a dene. On the other side of the road, cars were trying to avoid me.

"When I got to the bottom the gears came back into play, but the speed completely burned the motor out."

The Medical Devices Agency, in Blackpool, Lancashire, has examined the vehicle, and although final findings are still awaited, a report into the incident suggests the it could have been avoided if Mr Frankland had received a manufacturer's guide to its safe use.

Mr Frankland, who receives home help, said: "I've been housebound since this happened last year. The whole point of having a scooter was to increase my mobility."