Hearses halted by speed humps

Hearses and limousines are heavier and longer than normal cars

A funeral director has complained to the council after newly-installed speed humps caused his hearses to run aground.

Darren Carpenter, who runs Bird's Funeral Directors, based in Fisher Street, Maidstone, says he had to ask grieving relatives to get out of his vehicles every time he approached the humps.

The limousines and hearses scrape on the humps because they are longer and heavier than the average family car.

Highways officers for Kent County Council have promised to look into the complaints.

Mr Carpenter said: "The limousines are designed for eight people. They will just go on to the humps and they won't get off them

"I've asked the council if they want me to open up an account with our local exhaust centre because it's costing me a fortune in exhausts and catalytic converters."

Mr Carpenter said he knew of similar cases elsewhere in the UK where mourners had been forced to get out and walk every time their funeral vehicle negotiated a speed hump.

He said he could not understand why engineers had installed humps in his street.

"I've been here for some seven years and we've never, ever had an accident along this road," he said.

"Yet there are other areas in Maidstone, where my daughter goes to school, where children have been knocked over and the council are not doing anything at all."