THE wheels have come off the plans of an East Lancashire doctor to visit patients quicker -- after his bosses banned him from using a mini-scooter.

And health chiefs in Burnley and Blackburn said they totally agreed with the decision.

Father-of-four Dr Steve Allcock, an orthopaedic and trauma specialist, from Rossendale, bought the £30 trendy scooter from a local supermarket to help him zip between wards and bring some much needed light relief to patients.

But health and safety officials at Rochdale Infirmary slapped a ban on the doctor deeming his scooter a traffic hazard in the corridors.

Father-of-four Dr Allcock was said to have given his scooter to one of his children.

His secretary Sylvia Humphrey said: "He has had his fifteen minutes of fame now and would like to forget about it."

Bosses in East Lancashire today backed up their counterparts at Bury and Rochdale NHS Trust -- the local authority which banned Dr Allcock.

Janice Atkinson, business manager at Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare NHS Trust, backed the Bury and Rochdale NHS Trust's decision. She said: "We have not been presented with that problem as yet, but I would think it would pose something of a hazard. There is already a lot of traffic on the wards with porters and patients and trolleys full of meals so I can imagine that a doctor scooting around on a scooter would cause a problem.

"Our doctors like to use their own two feet." Chris Allen, speaking on behalf of Burnley NHS Trust, added: "We appreciate the thinking behind Dr Allcock's plan but it would be highly unlikely that we would allow such activities on our wards."