Woman's request to have dad's coffin carried by a JCB digger denied

The daughter of a 'one of a kind' former Hell's Angel has been left distraught after her unique funeral request got refused. Trevor Farren, a 'machine-loving' grandad who spent his whole life working as a mechanic on the Isle of Sheppy, Kent, sadly died of cancer last month aged 66. And now his daughter Ashleigh Johnson has revealed that her request to have his casket carried in the bucket of a JCB digger to his funeral has been denied. Trevor fell ill in September and after an appointment at Maidstone hospital, doctors found cancer in his throat, head and neck. He underwent a seven-week court of chemotherapy, but was diagnosed with terminal cancer in mid-March and given months to live. Tragically, just two weeks later, on March 31, the grandfather of six died at his partner's home in Sheerness, surrounded by his family. His daughter Ashleigh said that his death was "sudden" and "heartbreaking". She said her dad, who joined the Hell's Angels in 1978, "loved machinery" so much that she wanted his final journey to reflect that. The mum-of-four, who lives in Rochester, explained: "He loved anything mechanical, his bikes, diggers and tractors. He had loads of bikes, but his favourite was a Yamaha 210. "He was never clean because he was always working on some sort of machinery. Even as he was on his deathbed, all he would watch and listen to were diggers and machinery videos, so I wanted his final journey to be in the bucket of a JCB digger." The plan was for it to be driven almost 10 miles from Medway Road in Sheerness, to The Garden of England Crematorium, in Bobbing, Kent. However, funeral directors explained to the 31-year-old that, legally, this was problematic and that they could not carry out her request. Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Construction and Use Regulations 1986, it is an offence to use a vehicle which has a load that is not properly secured or that poses a danger to other road users. Ashleigh said: "It would have been really nice to have him carried in the digger, but it just wasn't legally doable. But we still want there to be a procession of diggers, tractors and bikers to follow his hearse. "He would do anything to help me and my brother Daniel. He was a one-of-a-kind dad. He didn't care about money and would give his last pound to anyone who needed help. "His grandchildren all love him. The family had a get-together a week before Dad passed, and my eldest son, Martin, said how Grandad told the best stories. We all miss him so much." Trevor's funeral is being held on Monday April 27 at 11am at The Garden of England Crematorium.