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Passengers have described a 'disgraceful' coach tour trip from Devon to Scotland in which the bus driver sold alcohol to passengers and elderly travellers were verbally abused.

The driver of a hired Telford's Coaches vehicle sold miniature bottles of vodka, gin and whisky from a compartment above a coffee machine on the bus for £2.50 each on a trip from Torquay run by tour company David Urquhart Travel.

A 79-year-old man from West Calder, who asked not to be named, said the 14-hour trip from Torquay back to Scotland was 'disgraceful' with one passenger swigging wine from the bottle and a widow on holiday for the first time without her husband being called 'an old git'.

Miniature bottles of alcohol such as these pictured were sold for £2.50 on coach tour bus from Torquay

The man, travelling with his wife, said: 'There were fancy stickers on a locked compartment saying "buy whisky" and "buy gin" beside the coffee machine in the middle of the coach.

'The driver wasn't actually selling the alcohol himself while he was driving - he had a young assistant selling it, sort of like a waitress.'

The man admitted the price was 'quite reasonable' compared to normal retail or mini-bar prices, a factor which may have encouraged its purchase.

'One man had a bottle of wine, six beer cans and a bottle of vodka that he had brought on himself,' he said.

'It is difficult to determine whether someone is actually drunk or not, but the way two of these passengers were acting certainly looked like they were.

A driver for Telford's Coaches, hired by David Urquhart Travel, sold alcohol to passengers 

The homepage for David Urquhart Travel, which received complaints after the bus they hired served booze

'They were standing up trying to get everyone to sing and making abusive comments. My wife said she heard them swearing.

The high street at Ecclefechan, where elderly coach passengers were told they were only upset because they were tired by passengers who'd been drinking

'There was a lady on the coach that was a widow and it was her first holiday on her own without her husband and the drunks were calling her "an old git", 'It wasn't nice.

'When we got to Ecclefechan, the drunks were telling us all we were just upset because we were tired.

'Actually we were upset because they were being so disruptive.'

He added: 'I was just trying to have a rest, sitting back with my neck cushion, when one of the men turned round and said to me I was sitting with my nose in the air. He was being such a nuisance.'

Unimpressed passengers have attempted to seek compensation for their unsavoury trip, which returned on August 30 this year, but have been told by East Kilbride-based David Urquhart Travel that it will not be forthcoming. 

The company's customer relations officer Ellie Elder said: 'Unfortunately, we found out about this incident after the Urquhart's tour had finished.

'Our conditions of travel state that the consumption of alcohol is not permitted on any of our tours.

'We have dealt with this matter and contacted Telford's who have dealt with the issue.

'Alistair Telford was not best pleased to hear that one of his drivers had been selling alcohol to the passengers and acting against their company policy

'We have a long established and successful relationship with Telford's and we have been assured that nothing of this sort will happen again.'

The unhappy customer, who had stayed with his wife and the rest of the group for five nights at the Cavendish Hotel in Torquay, added: 'We just want to raise awareness so that this type of things doesn't happen to other passengers.' 

The bus made a number of stops during the journey - on one the man said while a majority of passengers visited a garden centre a number of them went to a Brewer's Fayre to keep drinking.

When the bus reached Gretna at the entrance to Scotland, the bus driver who was selling alcohol swapped with another - the replacement did not continue to sell booze.

The drivers changed at Gretna, with the replacement not continuing to serve alcohol

Another couple, from Falkirk, said the experience was 'hellish'.

Sarah Thomson, 75, said: 'There were people buying drink from the driver and some of the passengers also brought on their own booze.

'When the coach was stopped the driver was asking people what kind of alcohol they would like and bringing it to their seat.

'We are experienced coach travellers and this is the first time we have ever been on one where alcohol was sold.

'Then things got a bit out of hand with the passengers.

'There was even talk of getting the police involved at one point things got so heated.'

The tour group had spent five nights at the Cavendish Hotel in Torquay

Telford's Coaches managing director Alistair Telford said: 'I don't want to hide anything. The driver was selling alcohol.

'I have taken action to ensure that this will not happen again and the driver has been dealt with internally.

'My information is that only one passenger was drunk, and that passenger did not buy the alcohol that made him drunk from the driver.

'We have worked for David Urquhart Travel for years and have a long standing relationship with them. We do not allow the consumption of alcohol on any of our coaches.'