Road safety watchdogs and Police last night issued a warning to parents over the lethal dangers of the latest toy craze to hit the Island.

Roxanne Christopher, of the Road Safety Council, said she had been inundated with calls about the new skateboard-type scooters following a rash of accidents at the weekend.

Children as young as two and three-years-old have been seen whizzing around on the scooters, some of which have motors attached on the back.

But she said the problems arose when they took them on the roads, often without helmets.

Safety officer Miss Christopher released the warning yesterday and urged parents to ensure their children played in safe areas, such as parks and playgrounds.

She said: "I know they are cool, groovy and the latest wonderful craze, but a number of parents have told me this week that they are nursing children with bad road rash. There have been quite a number of accidents and collisions.'' Miss Christopher also urged drivers to be more aware of the possibility of children on scooters.

She added: "But it is parents who need to take an active look at how and where their children are using them. These scooters are a danger to our public highways and I don't want someone to be seriously hurt or killed. I think these toys are great -- provided they are in a safe environment.'' A Police spokeswoman yesterday said officers were aware of the latest toy craze to hit Bermuda and had some serious concerns.

She said besides the obvious dangers of children riding on the roads on scooters, Police were unsure who would be liable if someone was injured or damage was caused.

And she said officers had asked Director of Public Prosecutions, Khamisi Tokunbo, to investigate whether or not motorised scooters were legal in Bermuda. As of last night, Police were still waiting to hear the outcome from prosecutors.

But she said: "We are looking at the issues of these scooters -- we have safety concerns.

"We are asking people to be careful and are urging parents to make sure their children wear the usual protective clothing, such as knee pads and helmets.

"We need to find out what all the legal positions are.'' Most of the skateboard scooters in Bermuda appear to be foot-controlled. They fold up and are easy to carry for youngters.

However, some people have been bringing motorised scooters onto the Island via Internet shopping and others have decided to modify the foot-controlled ones themselves by adding small lawnmower-type engines.

Whether they need insurance and licensing remains to be seen.

As of last night, nobody on the Island appeared to sell motorised scooters, however, Sports R Us told The Royal Gazette that they were expecting a batch in to the store in about a fortnight.

Acting Transport Minister Renee Webb said the foot-controlled scooters were a worldwide craze and not dangerous, provided they were used safely, and said her six-year-old daughter owned one.

And she said it was down to parents to determine whether or not their children should wear helmets. But she said she could see no wrong in youngsters riding on the roads, likening scooters to pedal bikes.

"I think parents should be cautious -- my daughter has a helmet with hers -- and ensure their children know how to ride them safely.

"Government cannot legislate something like this -- you have to have parental control, and, of course, drivers should be cautious.

"We let our youngsters ride their bikes on the roads, I think these are similar. We all just have to be careful.'' Raring to go: Suleyman Bashir, 13, shows off his scooter -- the latest craze to hit Bermuda.