Southend man outraged at blind joke on CK Blinds van

Alex Shepard was driving along Eastwood Road in Rayleigh yesterday (July 29) when he spotted a CK Blinds company van.

Emblazoned on the back of the van is the message: “Warning this van is being driven by a blind man”.

The 50-year-old was infuriated by the joke, which he said was in “poor taste”.

Mr Shephard’s 76-year-old father suffered a stroke three years ago which led to the loss of his eyesight.

“It’s an insult because I know that my dad would love to drive. He absolutely loved driving and he’s had that taken away from him through no fault of his own,” he explained.

“I found it insulting to blind people, so god knows how people with poor eyesight feel. It’s degrading. I think someone with poor eyesight would be very upset. It’s like having something on the back of the van insulting cancer patients, you just don’t do it.

“I knows it’s a gimmick to try and get work but it I saw it and though ‘nah, that’s not right’. I respect the company fits blinds, but a little more respect for the blind is needed, I think.”

Mr Shephard, who says he will now “never” be a customer of CK Blinds, added: “There are ways of advertising your businesses without taking the mickey out of others. I don’t think it’s right at all.”

Ryan Anderson, the owner of CK Blinds, based in Hockley, said he was “not out to upset anybody” but would not be considering changing the message.

“That message has been on the back of my van since the mid-90s,” he said.

“I had this discussion with drive time on BBC Essex radio a few months back when somebody complained. It’s meant as a play on words.

“It’s one of the things that were known for and it’s not meant to upset anybody,” he added.

“In all the time I’ve had that on my van I’ve had four complaints. After we were on the radio we must have had thousands of messages and phone calls in support of what we carry on the back of our vans.”