Horrified wedding guests have accused a Dundee bus company of ruining the big day amid allegations their driver stole money and even rifled through gifts.
Police had to be called after hundreds of pounds went missing from wallets and purses left on the Fishers Tours’ coach.
The guests had been taken from Dundee to the Hermitage woodlands near Dunkeld where they looked on as Tammy Nicolson and Roddy Williamson became husband and wife.
It should have been the day of their lives, but their families allege that it was ruined by the actions of their driver, who was challenged by the wedding party.
Brother of the bride Clint Budgeon said wedding guests had even seized the keys to the bus to prevent him from leaving before the arrival of police.
Once there, he said the officers searched the bus and found the missing money in a bin in the toilet.
Fishers, which provides school transport and claims both an “enviable reputation” and staff who are “renowned for their courteous and friendly service”, declined to comment on the allegations when approached by The Courier.
A spokesman for the company refused to even hear the details of what the
family have alleged.
Mr Budgeon said wedding guests had returned to their bus after a 45-minute ceremony at one of the Hermitage’s follies to find that their belongings had been rifled through.
“The only people that had access to the bus were the driver and the guests and none of us could believe that one of the guests would be involved,” he said.
“My other sister, Cindy, found that someone had taken £150 of the £250 in her purse, while another guest had £20 taken from her purse. Other people had small sums taken too.
“I can only think that the thief believed that by taking small sums the guests might not notice and simply think the money had been spent at the bar later in the evening.
“The bus driver was acting suspiciously and when he was challenged he went straight into the toilet and stayed there for some time.
“We called the police and officers arrived. They carried out a search of the bus and discovered the money hidden in a rubbish bin in the toilet.
“Guests had travelled from all over and Tammy was having such a great day, despite the weather, but this really spoilt the wedding.”
Mr Budgeon claims Fishers Tours have offered a refund.
A police spokesman said: “Police Scotland is aware of the matter and
looking into it.”
