Tag: ice cream van

Unbelievable Van Driver Stories: Ice Cream and You Tube Chaos

Posted on by News Desk

Amazingly, the driver rolled out of the wreckage and seemed unharmed, though he went to the hospital for a check-up.

Let’s hope he learned his lesson about patience on the road—because the van didn’t survive the encounter.

Ice Cream, Anyone?

Some rather bizarre van stories surfaced this week.

First up, police stopped an ice cream van driver near junction 2 on the M60.

When asked to do a saliva test, the driver tested positive for cannabis.

Afterward, he was taken into custody.

No one mentioned what happened to the ice cream van, but we can only hope the police handed over the contents as evidence before they melted.

Don’t Play Chicken With HGVs

A van driver in Turkey barely escaped with his life after a collision with an HGV.

The van, waiting at an intersection, pulled away ahead of the other vehicles.

Was he being impatient?

The HGV coming from the opposite direction couldn’t swerve or stop in time.

The result? A full-on collision with the van’s cab.

Amazingly, the driver rolled out of the wreckage and seemed unharmed, though he went to the hospital for a check-up.

Let’s hope he learned his lesson about patience on the road—because the van didn’t survive the encounter.

YouTube And The Road: A Dangerous Combo

We’ve talked before about drivers without insurance or proper documentation.

But here’s another story to add to the mix.

On the A50 in Derbyshire, a van driver caught the attention of the police—not for speeding, but for doing the opposite.

He was driving at 40 mph on a road with a 70 mph limit.

Why?

He was watching YouTube on his tablet while driving.

After the police stopped him, he tried to give false details, but a quick check revealed he lacked both insurance and a licence.

Needless to say, he didn’t finish watching that video.

Don’t Get Caught Without Insurance

Getting caught without insurancecould put you in a sticky situation.

Ensure you find the best and cheapest van insurance quotes to stay covered.

It’s easy—just fill out this quick 3-minute form, and you’ll be on your way.

This Chime, It’s Personal

Posted on by News Desk

It’s finally happened.

We’ve now reached that stage of the year when if people weren’t losing their minds over the colour of a van.

They’re now crying at ice cream vans. 

Okay, so perhaps not literally crying at an ice cream van.

But certainly becoming triggered enough by the chime of one.

Enough to get an ice cream van firm actually banned on a street in Lowestoft. 

Now, we firmly believe that the only reason to see red when it comes to ice cream vans, is when they drive off too quickly.

You know the deal.

You’ll be rushing around, getting dressed enough to look presentable to the neighbours, and pretending you’re about to get a Flake 99 for your kid.

But by the time you get outside…

THE VAN HAS GONE. It’s enough to make a grown man cry.

In Lowestoft, however, the reason for the banishing of ice cream on wheels is to do with the fact that the driver sounded the music for too long.

The company, Lamarti’s, are based near Great Yarmouth and having to deal with the fallback.

They have been accused by a distraught resident of allowing chimes to exceed 12 seconds.

More than 20 seconds, in fact.

Did you know there are rules in place for ice cream van chimes?

Music should be blasted — okay, sorry, played nicely — for only 12 seconds.

Oh, and it can only be done when the van is still.

There is also a protocol on how loud you can sound the chimes, and how often (once every couple of minutes).

Just in case you wanted to ensure you’re up-to-date with the rules properly, all the details are published on the Gov website.

Click here for some nighttime reading.

2020, 2021… Please stop messing with us.

Who knows what 2022 will bring?

Complaints about Jerry the neighbour cleaning his van at 10am and waking up Sharon from next door?

Time will tell. 

Until then, let’s hope the only other ice cream van concerns in your life are to do with insuring one.

You’ll find all the information you need, right here.

No Van Insurance? Don’t Cry Over Spilt Milk

Posted on by News Desk

There used to be the days when milk floats were a common sight and sound around the early morning roads. People liked their milk…delivered.

In recent years your average milk float has gone the way of the dinosaurs (almost like ice cream vans), to the point where seeing a milk float is like seeing a calm white van man. It just doesn’t happen.

However, there are some people out there who still like their milk delivered in the morning, waiting at their doorstep and as they collect it in their dressing gown. For some it is a tradition they just don’t want to give up.

To fulfil this demand, your average milkman, or milkwoman, has decided to swap the milk float for a van…one of those light commercial vehicles is typically preferred.

So it’s good to see that milk is still being delivered in some parts of the country, like Bolton for example, where I hear that getting milk on your doorstep is still a common occurrence.

That is why on one cold morning on the streets of Bolton a light commercial vehicle drove around the empty streets. You might be forgiven for thinking the driver was up to no good, until you saw him get out of the van and then get some milk out of the back.

This milkman was just going about his business and doing the rounds…he didn’t expect what was about to happen next.

Suddenly, and unexpectedly, a voice came out of the darkness, “Freeze. Put your hands where I can see them. Down on the ground…NOW,” is possibly what was said, although no-one knows for sure.

It was the Police, and what appears to have happened is they had scanned the van. “Beep, Beep,” it sounded, and for your average man and woman in Blue, this is the green light they need to go in and take action.

So at 1:20am on a cold morning in the city of Bolton a tense standoff was happening. Would the milkman make a run for it? Maybe in the good old days of milk floats he would have decided to take off and let the Police give chase, but on this day he decided to give himself up.

He knew they had got him, and he knew exactly what for…no van insurance. That’s right. For some reason this particular milkman thought that driving around in the early hours meant he didn’t have to buy van insurance, but he was wrong.

The Police are everywhere, even in bushes, and it doesn’t matter what time of the day it is…they will get you, arrest you, and send you to jail if they find that no van insurance is the crime.

So now this milkman has to do the time…although there is no point in crying over spilt milk.

Much to the credit of Bolton Police they did recognise the fact that people would not be getting their milk now this van was off the road and the milkman was behind bars. That is why they allowed him one phone call, where they suggested he phone a mate to come and pick up the milk and get it out to customers.

So another van arrived. This time with insurance and enough space in the back to put the milk in there and then make the deliveries.

If there was Wi-Fi at the Police Station then I just hope the milkman took the time to visit Cheap Van Insurance, The Nations Favourite.

In 3 minutes he could have filled out his details, and then in no time at all get around 40 quotes. That is all you need to legally deliver milk.

He could have even used Cheap Van Insurance as a negotiating tactic in the interview room. “Look at the cheap quotes I’ve just got. I’m on the straight and narrow now, guv, no more bother from me,” he could have said to the Police officer.

With those words the milkman would have been back on the roads the very next morning, ready to deliver milk once again.

Ice Cream Van Drivers Fight Back, Not Going Quietly

Posted on by News Desk

The summer of rage is coming to end on August 31st, but ironically it could be ice cream men and women that need to cool down the most.

Regular readers of this blog will be only too aware about how ice cream vans are on their way out…with only 2500 left on UK roads.

This has obviously led to some frustration within the ice cream industry which was highlighted recently in an incident at Parkgate Shopping Park, Rotherham.

A couple by the name of Rob Tracy and Tracy Dixon decided it would be a good idea to buy two of their favourite ice creams, 99 cones, which they believed were priced at £1.50 each.

So they approached an ice cream van in Parkgate Shopping Park and placed the order. Unfortunately not everything went to plan.

With 3 English pounds in his hand Rob was getting ready to buy the ice creams and then enjoy a summers afternoon in Rotherham, but the ice cream man had other ideas.

Instead of asking for 3 pounds, the man in the ice cream van asked for 5 pounds, which left both Rob and Tracy stunned. This was NOT the advertised price, but also, a fiver for 2x 99 cones? That’s a bit of rip off they thought. I must admit, I’m in agreement with that one.

It isn’t like the good old days of ice cream eating if you ask me, where you could run after the ice cream van with 50p and still go back home with change in your pocket.

Back to the story and after a brief argument about the price, the ice cream van man (only known as Steve) did something completely unexpected…he threw the two 99 cones directly at Rob and Tracy.

We’ve heard right here on this blog about the summer of rage when it comes to van owners, but this really is taking things to the next level.

The ice creams hit Rob on his head and then went down his shoulder and back. This wasn’t the way he expected to be served his ice creams, I’m sure.

The couple’s German Shepherd dog also caught a bit of ice cream in the face. Coincidentally, the dog’s name is “Ice,” and he does enjoy eating ice cream according to Rob, but not when it is launched into his face.

At this point Rob and Tracy decided that enough was enough and they called in the Police, and when they arrived, after hearing both sides of the story they decided the best course of action was to send the ice cream man home for the day. Probably best.

Hopefully he was able to cool down a bit, and once relaxed, he might have even used the rest of the afternoon to compare van insurance quotes right here on this site.

Ice Cream Vans Almost “Extinct” Because Of…

Posted on by News Desk

The traditional ice cream van man or woman used to be an everyday sight and sound, even in the winter. Those days are nearly over it seems.

Did you know that in the 1970’s there were around a quarter of a million ice cream vans on UK roads? Fast forward to 2017 and it’s estimated there are around 2500.

So the writing is on the wall for the ice cream van trade by the looks of it, which is a shame because who doesn’t remember hearing the familiar sound of your local ice cream van when you were a kid, and then running out of the house to get a 99 flake or those ice creams with the bubble gum at the bottom.

It makes you wonder why such a popular national institution such as the ice cream van looks to be going the way of the dinosaurs.

According to the CEO of the Ice Cream Association there is one particular culprit that not many people realise…and it isn’t what you might think.

“Double Glazing” has been blamed for the near extinction of ice cream vans, mainly because it is claimed that children or their parents can no longer hear the familiar chimes of the van coming down the road.

Most kids are sat inside playing on their computer or surfing the internet and updating social media, blissfully unaware that an ice cream van is outside waiting for their pocket money.

Waiting…and waiting….and waiting…and waiting, that is what many ice cream van owners did, but because of double glazing nobody knew they were around, and this led to many selling their ice cream vans and then going down the local job centre to see what van driving jobs there was, no doubt.

One expert commented, “even if a van is right outside their house, people may not hear them. The whole point is to soundproof homes and keep them warm, but they are not good for ice cream vans.”

Is it all doom and gloom though? Maybe not, because a new company have just come up with a solution. It’s called Vantoot, which is an App that alerts users when the ice cream man or woman is about to come down the street. A good idea? Let’s wait and see.

The one thing I do know is that currently, as we speak, there are 2500 hard working ice cream van owners that go out on the roads of the UK to keep on selling the nations favourite snacks.

In my opinion, these people should be rewarded for their persistence and dedication to the tradition that we all know and remember, and what better way to do that than with cheap van insurance.

Right here, you can quickly and easily compare ice cream van insurance in order to save money so you can make more profit.

It only takes about 3 minutes to write down your details in the form (which is about the time it takes to serve a family with their favourite ice creams), and then, you instantly get quotes from over 40 insurance companies with potentially very cheap quotes for your ice cram van. Give it a try.

Step 1

Complete your quick and easy quote

Step 2

Reveal your van insurance policies

Step 3

Pick your favourite and get instant cover