Moped loans let jobless get on their bikes to find work

Mopeds are being lent to people in rural areas under a Government scheme to help them find work.

Students and job seekers in the East Anglian and Somerset countryside are being offered second-hand machines in areas where there is poor public transport.

The pilot Kickstart scheme is open to anyone who is unemployed and has a full or provisional licence.

Participants will have to buy their own petrol and pay £8 a week for maintenance. In return, they will be given a machine worth about £1,600 for up to six months, plus insurance and road tax and a crash helmet.