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Funeral director unfairly dismissed after sacking for 'speeding' in hearse
A funeral director who was sacked for speeding in a hearse at "more than five miles per hour" has been awarded £30,000.

By Tom Peterkin
Last Updated: 10:27AM BST 02 Sep 2008

Mr Ralston's bosses claim that he drove the hearse faster than five miles per hour Photo: PA
Scott Ralston was compensated after proving that he had been unfairly dismissed from Co-operative Funeral Care in Glasgow.

Mr Ralston took his employers to an industrial tribunal after his dismissal, which resulted from an incident on October 12 2007.

The father-of-two based at Shieldhall, Glasgow, had a particularly busy day and left the Co-operative Funeral Care's garage in a hearse loaded with four sets of remains.

His bosses claimed that he had let the tyres squeal, used the horn and drove faster than five miles per hour. The company accused him of not showing enough respect for the dead.

He was suspended pending an investigation into reckless driving and was then dismissed.

He retaliated by taking his employers to a tribunal. The tribunal sitting in Glasgow found that it was not unusual for the firm's funeral directors to drive faster than five miles per hour.

It also pointed out that the Co-operative Funeral Care garage had signs at the exits and entrances telling drivers to use their horns.

After the hearing, Mr Ralston, who had worked with the Co-operative Funeral Care for 16-years, said he felt "totally vindicated".