Photo © Graham Ledger. Please do not re-post without permission.

Two photos of the demise of Northampton Transport's 247, BNH247C.
Having worked an out-bound evening peak service, 247 was being driven back to town in the usual N.T. way; the driver was on his last trip of the day and speed was of the essence. Such journeys often ignored waiting passengers and regarded red traffic lights as merely a suggestion but, on this occasion, the driver of a Cortina decided that a traffic light that had just turned red indicated 'stop' to the evident surprise of the bus driver following close behind.
The recovery was made difficult because the front of the bus was embedded in someone's garden and the bus had rode over the traffic light pole in such a way as to prevent rearward movement. The towing wagon, a 1940s ERF with 4LW and body built by Northampton Corporation transport, is in attendance. The application of the 'On Tow' sign was a little premature, as recovery was not completed until several hours later, only after most of the transmission, and the traffic light pole wrapped around it, had been removed by an agile fitter crawling underneath.
Features of the period include the interested small girl, the 'jam sandwich' police car and the general insouciance evident.

Photo taken by Graham Ledger, Monday 10 September 1979, Junction of Kingsthorpe Road and Thornton Road, Northampton

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