Pedal power is stronger than most people think - it can actually make a banned vehicle legal.

Estate agent Gary Viney thought he would scoot around Brighton's parking problems when he invested £500 in an electric cycle.

His City Mantis has a top speed of about 12mph but, most importantly, can fold up to be stored next to a desk, eliminating the need to find a parking space in the congested city.

Everything was going well until a sharp-eyed policeman spotted Mr Viney's new vehicle was not legal to be used on the road.

The 35-year-old was initially angry his dream of zipping about the streets was over, until The Argus informed him one small change could clear things up.

He didn't need a licence, insurance or tax to be allowed back on the streets - just a tiny pair of pedals.

Mr Viney, who works for Bentley's estate agents in Dyke Road, said: "Over the last few weeks, there have been more and more parking restrictions around our area.

"I saw a web site offering these scooters and I thought they would be great for just zooming about town. I used mine to go to appointments for a couple of weeks and had no problems at all.

"But last Friday my colleague was using it and a policeman pulled him over and told him the scooter was illegal."

Mr Viney contacted both the DVLA and Department of Transport to try to get more information on his City Mantis, all to no avail.

The solution came when The Argus contacted Bite My Scooter, the Hove-based firm that sells the scooters, which pointed out a loophole in the law.

Salesman Paul Cuniliffe said: "The law states if a vehicle is mechanically propelled, in order to ride on the road it must have insurance, tax and cannot be ridden on the pavement.

"However, if you have a pushbike that can switch to an electric motor to go up hills, it is exempt. So we provide pedals that attach to the scooter to get round this.

"It's far less dangerous than a normal bicycle as well, since they can travel up to about 20mph."

The news delighted Mr Viney but he is bemused the law is so complicated for such environmentally-friendly transport.

He said: "The situation is ridiculous.

"I thought everyone was trying to cut down on road congestion and pollution and that is what these things do."

For more information on the City Mantis, log on to www.bitemyscooter.com or phone 0870 7773752.