An E.ON driver "barged through" the funeral procession of a beloved grandmother before allegedly shouting abuse at the hearse driver.
The van driver pushed his way through two funeral cars and ranted loudly as the procession made its way along a residential road in Chestnut, Hertfordshire, relatives claim.
Heartbroken family members said it "ruined" a moment which was meant to give them a chance to say their final goodbyes to Marian Richardson.
Her daughter Deborah Thomas told Herts Live that she feels "hurt, disappointed and let down" that her final journey with her mum was ruined in such a way.
Interrupting a procession between the hearse and other vehicles is widely considered disrespectful.
Representatives at the energy company have apologised for the incident which happened at around 3.25pm on April 20. But Deborah feels that not enough has been done to compensate the family.
She said: "We got into the car to take my mum on her final journey and, as usual, the undertaker led the way.
"He'd just got back in the car and pulled away and the E.ON van came down the road and continued to barge his way through.
"We slowed right down and he insisted on pushing his way through to the point where he actually couldn't move himself. He had to wait for the funeral hearse to move forward before he could get through.
"He then got through and rolled down the window and he verbally abused the driver which my children, aged 16 and 19, heard. He was just ranting and shouting."
Marian had a stroke four years ago and the family had cared for her in their home until she died.
Deborah said: "I've nursed my mum for four years in this house and then to have this on her last journey, it was heartbreaking."
She described her mother as "very sweet" and "old fashioned" and said everybody referred to her as Nanny.
"So for that to have happened to her, she wouldn't have been able to comprehend it. She was very traditional," she added.
Deborah's friend and professional snooker player Stuart Bingham took to social media to express his horror.
He appealed to his followers to help him find the driver, saying: "Someone on here must be able to help find who this driver is?
"This happened at a close friend's mother's funeral. Absolutely disgusting behaviour not just driving between two funeral cars, but then verbally abusing the driver."
The snooker player posted a video of the incident online and an E.ON representative got in touch with Deborah's husband on Twitter to apologise.
Marian's family had previously tried to report the incident through E.ON's online chat function but they were told to email their complaints team.
Deborah said: "I emailed with complaints department and I received a reply back saying that they now had all the information they needed to open my account and if I could just supply my address and details, then they could formalise it.
"My husband had a response by Twitter, but only to say how sorry they were and they were transferring the details. Nothing has come through to me yet."
Asked about the actions she would like to see from E.ON, she added: "I would like for the CEO to watch that video and say how we would feel if that was his mother's funeral. What would he have done?"
A spokesperson for E.ON said: "We've had the opportunity to speak to Mrs Thompson and to apologise unreservedly for the insensitivity and for the added distress during what will have been an incredibly difficult time for all of her family.
"We’ll also be making a donation to a charity of her choice by way of apology. We will be fully investigating this incident and providing feedback to the technician involved."
