Blind woman and guide dog 'struck by e-scooter'

A blind woman who was injured after being "struck by an electric scooter" said the incident had knocked the confidence of both her and her guide dog.

Joy Drury told BBC Essex she was "recovering" and "a bit sore" after she was knocked over in Colchester while walking with her companion, Ida.

The 60-year-old said she was left in "quite a bit of pain and discomfort" and "it has played on Ida".

Mrs Drury said witnesses had told her a privately owned e-scooter struck her, rather than one rented as part of a trial scheme run in the city.

Mrs Drury said she had taken Ida to a park to enjoy a "free run" and had just started to cross the road when she was struck.

"I've done this route for so long," she said. "I did it with my previous guide dog until she retired and it's a route I know inside out."

She said she had encountered e-scooters before but she had not experienced anything as bad as this since she lost her sight at the age of 19.

"We've never been knocked down but we've come across them being ridden erratically on the pavement," she continued.

Clive Wood, from the charity Guide Dogs, said Mrs Drury's experience was common.

Research by the charity found 75% of blind and partially sighted people have had an incident involving an e-scooter, including near misses and poor parking obstructing pavements.

"This does have an impact on both people and the dogs," Mr Wood said.

The charity is calling on police forces to do more to enforce restrictions on e-scooters, particularly privately owned ones which are illegal to ride on public roads.

Mrs Drury said she felt e-scooters were "dangerous".

She added she had walked the same route since the incident but had to try and mask her own fears to make sure Ida felt confident.

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