Florist that was victim of disgraced councillor thanks Milton Keynes public for their support

The florist whose van was written off in a collision with disgraced councillor Scot Balazs has thanked the public for their overwhelming support.

Mr Balazs resigned from his position on MK City Council last Thursday following an MK Citizen investigation to expose his court convictions.

He had kept secret his prosecution in May for driving a car without due care and attention while possessing no full licence and no insurance. His car allegedly veered across the road while Bluebell Flowers’ van was coming in the other direction.

This happened in February and the van was written off. Because Mr Balazs had no insurance, florist Brenda Gregory has yet to receive a penny in compensation.

The lack of transport, coupled with the loss of business on Valentine’s Day, meant she has now been forced to close down her small shop in Newport Pagnell High Street.

Fellow Conservatives say they knew nothing about the councillor’s misdeed until the Citizen informed them, saying Mr Balazs did not tell them. MP Ben Everitt and the chair of the local Tory party have since both approached Brenda to explain and express their sympathy.

But on Saturday she was too scared to open her shop for its final day because she received a nasty message on the shop phone from somebody supporting Mr Balazs.

The angry message claimed Bluebells had received insurance money for the van, which is absolutely untrue. Police have been informed.

Brenda said: "I felt sick. The message seemed threatening and I didn’t open the shop on the my last day because of it.”

However, he has thanked the rest of the public for being “overwhelmingly supportive” to her.

One man, George McNeil, was so touched by her plight that he’s organised a special fundraising page called ‘Let's Get Bluebells Back On The Road’, with the aim of raising enough to buy or lease Brenda a new van to help her carry on her florist business from her home,

He said: “This will then help them to continue to offer the amazing high standards and service they've delivered for the last 15 years...We understand that not everyone has any spare money to give at the moment but if you could please spread the word and share our page we would be extremely grateful.”

So far the page has raised more than £2,500. You can view it or donate here.

Brenda and her husband Richard, who was injured in the February collision, tried to buy a used car from a local dealer to make their deliveries. But even then they had back luck as the car showed serious faults and they’ve had to battle to get their money back.

They are this week running Bluebell Flowers from their home, with the same website and phone number.

Meanwhile local Labour and Lib Dem have hit out at the political scandal.

Council leader Pete Marland said: “Everyone makes mistakes. The key to moving on is to be sure that all the facts are known and there is total clarity. Any apology must be truthful and address all the issues.

"We need to remember a serious criminal offence has taken place and a local business has been impacted. They are the innocent victims here.”