It has caused anxiety among residents, acting as an eerie reminder of their own mortality. But today, the owner of a second-hand hearse which has been parked in a street for six weeks, promised to move the vehicle after a flurry of complaints.

STOWUPLAND: It has caused anxiety among residents, acting as an eerie reminder of their own mortality.

But today, the owner of a second-hand hearse which has been parked in a street for six weeks, promised to move the vehicle after a flurry of complaints.

The gloomy funeral car has been parked at the roadside in Reeds Way, Stowupland, since Halloween and some residents had become fed up with having to look at it, sending a collective letter to The Evening Star outlining their grievances.

But hearse owner Mark Jones, who lives in Felixstowe, said he was a little disappointed that the unhappy residents had not made contact with him, requesting he moved it first before they sent their letter.

He said: “I was doing it up. I did a Halloween party for a nightclub with it and just left it there (in Reeds Way) after. My ex-missus (who lives in Reeds Way) said I could leave it there at her house.

“I got it in Cambridgeshire from a dealer as I had always fancied doing one up. I'm a bit jarred off - if they had come and told us to move it somewhere I wouldn't have minded.”

Mr Jones, 39, said he had even paid �60 for a damaged coffin to put in the rear of the hearse and had fitted it with alloy wheels and a sound system.

He said he was hoping the hearse, which is taxed, insured and parked legally, would attract more parties and events after the successful Halloween bash.

He added: “That's what I originally bought it for, to take it to car shows and things like that.”

Mr Jones works at Whip Street Motors in Ipswich and is a car fanatic, at one time owning four.

He now only owns the hearse, a quad bike and his prized Subaru Impreza. He said he would be moving the hearse at the next available opportunity.

Do you understand the residents' concerns? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk