FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY THEY HAVE BEEN THE PREFERRED mode of transport for snappily dressed mods and continental youngsters. Now the days of Quadrophenia have returned as scooters are having a huge surge in popularity, filling our towns and cities with the buzz and smell of two-stroke engines.

But it is not just the Vespa and Lam-bretta favoured by "Modfather" Paul Weller that are hitting the streets. Hard-pressed families selling the second car to beat the fuel price hikes and parking charges are turning to a new breed of cut-price Chinese imports. Buyers are lured by 160 miles to the gallon, free parking, £15 a year road tax, low-cost insurance and the low CO2 emissions of the gridlock-busting machines.

The Motor Cycle Industry Association has reported the sales of two-wheelers jumped 22% in July, mostly driven by scooter sales, while the car sales market dropped by 13% in the same period.

Simon Small of the Motor Cycle Industry Association said: "There are two things driving the market. In October the bike test changes to a more difficult, time-consuming and expensive test, so many are rushing to get bikes and take tests.

"The more significant thing is the economic situation. The housing market is in difficulties, fuel bills are so high, so people are looking for savings in all parts of their life including how they get around. As a result, they are turning to scooters and bikes as day-to-day transport and for commuting. It saves money, avoids congestion, enjoys free parking and makes commuting less stressful. People are also interested in the lower CO2 emissions than travelling by car."

Mother-of-two Lillian Boyd, from Edinburgh, bought a Chinese scooter in July after she got a new job across town. "We can't afford to run two cars with living expenses as high as they are," she said. "Public transport is no use in Edinburgh just now. It would take two buses and more than an hour to do a trip I can do on my scooter in 20 minutes."

Imported scooters from China with an on-the-road price of £795 are flying out of the shop, says Michael Crombie of Edinburgh Motorcycle Imports.

"Many of our customers are selling their second car and going back to their youth by getting scooters," said Crombie. "We are now selling more than 2000 a year and the age of our customers ranges from 16 to 90. One of my recent customers is 82.

"Some of my customers are parents buying a scooter for their 16-year-old to get about. Rather than spending hours dropping them off and picking them up in their cars, they are buying them a scooter and saying here is a bit of independence'. They also like the idea that, with the rise of street crime, rather than their teenager standing about at bus stops, they can literally get on their bike and be safer.

"We also get rich urban bikers who maybe have a 1000cc bike, but rather than risk getting it damaged in town or getting a speeding ticket, choose a scooter or smaller-engined bike to commute with. Other customers are interested in the environmental benefits of scooters rather than lone people travelling in cars. Many say they want to beat roadworks and disruption.

"We are seeing a huge surge in scooter sales because they have something to appeal to every pocket. The quality of the imports is now getting so good."

In the future, scooters will get cleaner and greener. Scooters powered by compressed air have been invented, and petrol-free electric scooters which are charged up overnight are also proving to be popular.