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IC returns impounded vehicle used for gypsy funeral
Page 32
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NORTH EASTERN Traffic Commissioner Tom Macartney has returned an impounded vehicle to a traveller because he was satisfied that it was being used as "part of a traditional gypsy funeral".
Andrew Price, of the Esholt Lane Caravan Site, Baildon, was seeking the return of the vehicle, which had been impounded by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) at the beginning of July.
Traffic examiner Nigel Pollard said the vehicle had been seen carrying goods in January. On the day it was detained in July it had been carrying a load to a council tip.
Price said he had not been the owner of the vehicle in January. He explained that its use in July followed the death of a relative. It was the tradition to burn a dead person's caravan and belongings; the vehicle was transporting the remnants to the tip by prior arrangement with the local authority.
Directing that the vehicle be. returned to Price. the TC decided the vehicle was not being used in contravention of the regulations as it was part of a traditional gypsy funeral.
The failure to detain the vehicle in January had made it impossible to determine who was the driver on the day and gave no help in establishing ownership. It had also denied VOSA the chance to explain the 0licensing and impounding rules to a traveller family that had difficulty in reading and writing.
He decided that Price was not the owner of the vehicle in January and had received no prior warning of a possible impounding.