Strathclyde Police has introduced the first electric scooter to be used for active duty by a British police force.

The emission-free Vectrix electric maxi-scooter will be used to help police Glasgow Airport.

The maxi-scooters, which have a top speed of 62mph, will be used mainly for patrol and parking duties at the airport.

“Following a two week trial to test for performance and usability, we quickly established that the Vectrix was capable of meeting our requirements,” Inspector Colin Pearson, Glasgow airport road policing, said.

“The bike will enhance our ability to enforce parking legislation and also to assist the regulation of traffic within the busy airport road system.”

Alan Tait, assistant fleet manager of the transport and logistics department, Strathclyde Police, added: “All police forces across the country are looking at their carbon footprint and investigating ways of reducing their CO2 output, the Vectrix has proved itself as a real practical alternative to petrol powered machines, offering the same performance but without the harmful emissions.”