Five thousand people a week are buying these light-weight aluminium machines, joining the likes of Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue and Jude Law.

While Yuppies led the craze, retailers say that younger children have also caught the bug. So, heads beware. Playgrounds and corridors could soon be teeming with youngsters hurtling along at speeds of up to 30mph to get to geography on time. They’re not called “urban assault vehicles” for nothing.

Barry Dawson, head at Bidston primary, Birkenhead, said: “We’ve got 500children here. I don’t know what we would do if they all turned up on scooters. We haven’t got the storage. I know they fold up, but I don’t think our coat hooks could take the strain.”

The scooters, also known as Razors, sell for pound;60-pound;120 and are small enough to fit into a kit bag. Unlike skateboards, they are popular with girls as well as boys because they are harder to fall off.

And, just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, there’s a motorised version. One of the main UK distributors is a 15-year-old schoolboy, who runs the business from his bedroom in Snaresbrook, east London.