A FUNERAL director has spoken of his disgust after a driver sped past, beeped his horn and swore at a cortege.

Stephen Nimmo, owner of Chester Pearce Funeral Service, was driving the hearse down the A338 Spur Road when a driver of a Range Rover reportedly drove past and gestured his middle finger at the cortege.

Mr Nimmo said: “A grandfather had died, he had been married for 65 years and the family were obviously very distressed.

“We left with the hearse from the house in Ashley Heath and all the family cars followed.

“What we always do is we hold the outside lane to get into position, we were going at about 60mph.

“We were going along and this person in a black Range Rover comes screaming past down the inside of us, beeped his horn and out his arm out the window giving us the middle finger.”

Mr Nimmo said the family saw it and were “very distressed” by his actions.

“This old guy, he was so loved by his family, he was adored by his wife. He has grandchildren, great grandchildren and they are already struggling because they can’t give him the funeral he deserves,” he said.

“This person thinks it’s acceptable to disrespect this family and this man all because he may have been held up for 30 seconds.

“He didn’t tale a moment to consider this family are grieving.

“I think that is a sad reflection of where society is at the moment, especially on a backdrop of the behaviour at Bournemouth beach.

“I don’t know if the man was local but that behaviour was disgusting.”

Mr Nimmo added that he rarely sees people stop for corteges anymore.

He continued: “Does it say something about the society we live in that while millions took to clapping for our wonderful NHS, I have not seen one person who happens to be on the street as we pass by, stop what they are doing, and pause for a moment.

“I find myself wondering why it is, that people cannot stop and pay respects to someone who has died, rather than continuing their conversation, having a laugh, or whatever else they may be doing.

“I don’t think we’ll find out who (the Range Rover driver) is.

“This family were such wonderful people, kind, generous and loving, and it was my honour to be able to guide them through today.

“But you sir are everything that seems to be wrong with society right now.”