By Simon Nix

Natalie Appleton

Now available in Drag Pink for 2001, the Zip is guaranteed to turn heads.

Said Natalie: "I am dying to get my hands on a Piaggio scooter, though I'm having trouble deciding which one to choose!"

The All Saints are due to take delivery of a fleet of Piaggios any day now, joining the growing band of celebrity scooterists - including Liam Gallagher, Nicole Appleton's boy- friend.

Piaggio must be thrilled at the pop stars' attention - especially as the giant Italian scoooter-maker had its best results ever in 2000.

Piaggio, and its sister brand Gilera, increased sales by 57 per cent to give it a 31.2 per cent slice of the UK scooter market.

This means that Piaggio now lays claim to the title of the third-biggest scooter manufacturer selling in Britain.

Much of its success was founded on the sales of the "pop"-ular Piaggio Zip 50cc, which became the second best-selling scooter in the UK after only six months on the market.

Small, agile and stylish, the Zip has found favouritism with singing stars and the British public as a whole, a trend that looks set to continue with the launch of the Zip 125cc this year and Piaggio's highly competitive insurance packages.

To build on last year's success, Piaggio is offering a year's third party fire and theft insurance for £200, or less - depending on personal details - for the Zip 50cc or 125cc.

Youngsters aged 16 to 24 can also get £200 off when insuring some of Piaggio's top-selling sports scooters, including the Typhoon XR 50cc, NRG eXtreme Air 50cc and eXtreme Liquid 50cc along with the Gilera DNA 50cc, Gilera Runner 50cc and Runner 125cc. The offer lasts until March 31.

Costantino Sambuy, marketing manager of Piaggio UK, said: "These new insurance deals should help ease traffic congestion and encourage more people to enjoy the scootering lifestyle."