A GWENT Police officer is raising awareness of the dangers of using a Swegway hover board after posting a video on social media.

In the short clip, the Monmouthshire-based PC is seen falling over after trying one, which has become increasing popular with children and young people.

The clip, which has been widely shared online, was filmed by Old Hereford Road in Abergavenny just before 5pm on Wednesday. It came about after the officer was giving the user of the board some legal and safety advice.

PC Adam Hollings, who is featured in the Twitter upload, said: "Whilst on patrol, I noticed a young lad using the hover board on the road and pavement which is illegal and unsafe. He also had no safety gear on. I stopped to have a chat and give him some safety advice.

"I wanted to leave a positive image of the police in this mind so thought I'd have a go on the hover board once we were somewhere safe and legal. His last words were don't correct yourself when it moves as you'll go flying. Well the video speaks for itself and clearly I don't have a career in professional skating ahead of me."

Gwent Police are advising anyone who owns a hover board to only use it on private land and to wear suitable safety gear to not end up like PC Hollings.

For more information about hover board safety and to find out more about policing in the area, you can visit @GPAbergavenny on Twitter for updates.