A delivery driver flicked a ‘V’ sign at a mum when she complained after he nearly knocked over her son whilst riding on the pavement.
Caterer Jenka Levytska-Swinyard said she was walking with eight-year-old Theodore when he narrowly avoided being hit by the scooter in Canterbury, Kent.
The near miss, which left Theodore shaken, has been reported to Kent Police.
Ms Levytska-Swinyard said: “I am furious.
“I was walking with my boy when suddenly a delivery scooter flew around the corner on the pavement, nearly hitting him.
“The rider stopped and I asked what the hell he was doing and said he should be on the road, not the pavement.
“But he was very rude and aggressive and just kept repeating: ‘Well, I didn’t hit him, did I?’
“I said that wasn’t the point, but he was unnecessarily rude and blatantly out of order.
“I then lifted my phone to take a picture and he flicked his fingers up, giving me the ‘V’ sign.”
The mother and son duo had been delivering homemade cakes at the time of the sour incident.
Theodore was left scared both by the ordeal and by the subsequent argument with the delivery rider.
“He was saying, ‘Leave it, Mum’, but I had to tell the rider that his behaviour was not acceptable,” said Mrs Levytska-Swinyard.
“He was putting the safety of pedestrians at risk.”
The scooter’s delivery box was branded with the logo of a restaurant in Dorset, which said it had no connection to the rider of the vehicle.
A manager explained that the container would have been one of many given out by Honda as part of a marketing campaign it was involved with years ago.
Kent Police have recently been patrolling Canterbury to tackle “anti-social and nuisance moped riders”.
Canterbury City Council is also putting a new Public Space Protection Order in place, which covers anti-social behaviour by delivery riders, including aggressive driving or riding, dangerous manoeuvres, excessive noise, and danger to other road users – including pedestrians.
Now, anyone found to have breached the order can be fined £100.
The city council’s cabinet member for safety, Connie Nolan, says she expects the rider involved in the incident with Mrs Levytska-Swinyard and Theodore, which took place on 18 January, to be identified and spoken to about his actions.
“This is exactly the sort of incident we are trying to stop,” she said.
“This poor mum and child must have been scared and alarmed by it and I have asked her to contact me directly so that I can pursue it.”
A spokesperson for Kent Police said officers had been aware of the incident.
Meanwhile, another delivery driver, Toby Allen, who works for Deliveroo, said some workers “drive like lunatics”.
He explained: “[This incident] doesn’t surprise me – some of them drive like lunatics.
“I do ride my bike down the high street but I’m careful when I’m doing it.
“Some guys are just thinking about the next drop.
“I think to be honest we’ve already got a bad name.
“I don’t think we’re very popular with residents until they want their food delivered, and then they’re fans.”
