Boys in blue to go on the beat with three-wheeled, 25mph scooter

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As he screeched around the streets in his Ford Cortina, Gene Hunt, the no-nonsense copper from Life On Mars, might have had a few choice words to say if he'd come across the contraption on the right.

The electric three-wheeled scooter is a far cry from the average police car, but it could soon be patrolling a street near you.

The machine, known as the T3 personal mobility vehicle, is designed to allow officers to cover a greater amount of ground than on foot.

It has a top speed of 25mph, a range of more than 20 miles and is equipped with a police siren and red and blue flashing lights.

Already used by some forces in the U.S., the £4,500 scooter was unveiled at the Association of Chief Police Officers' annual conference in Manchester, where PC Colin Chamberlain became the first British officer to test drive it. He said: "It's great. It would be excellent to use in the city centre. It's nice and smooth and pretty nippy."

Others were less impressed with the machine, which bears some resemblance to Sir Clive Sinclair's ill-fated C5 electric car. One senior officer said: "It looks like a tricycle for kids or a space-age mobility aid and I can see it provoking mirth on the streets.

"It may well have its practical uses, but what would happen if it ran out of electrical charge? I'm sure many officers would prefer to rely on their own two legs."

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On patrol: Other transport has included the bicycle, a Segway and rollerblades

In 2003, officers from Lancashire Police tested a similar-looking electric Segway Human Transporter, while other means for the boys in blue to get around have included rollerblades and the good old bicycle.