Brexit Party bus abandoned on Welsh road ‘had mechanical fault’
A Brexit Party bus had to be towed away after it broke down in a lay-by in Wales.
The double decker was pictured with its doors open, parked at a right angle, in the Brecon Beacons on Saturday night.
It had spent the day helping with campaigning ahead of a forthcoming by-election in Brecon and Radnorshire.
Speculation was rife as to why the bus, which was pictured with its doors open, had been ditched in the lay-by - some suggested it was left there as a "bizarre publicity stunt".
The party later confirmed it had suffered a mechanical failure.
BBC Wales journalist Sue Charles found the bus and was initially concerned it had been in an accident, but then saw it was abandoned.
"The doors were still open… it was at a right angle on a lay-by… it just looked very odd," she said.
Haydn Rushworth, press officer for the Brexit Party in Wales, had been campaigning on the bus earlier on Saturday and explained there had been a "mechanical glitch" while the driver was travelling alone in the evening and had pulled over.
"It wasn’t a publicity stunt, no-one had hijacked it, it wasn’t Ukip stealing it and abandoning it,” he said.
"I’ve heard some great stories – unfortunately it was just a breakdown.
"It’s a terrific one for our opponents, I’m sure they could come up with some phenomenal metaphors…
"I’m not going to be the one that comes up with them."
Mr Rushworth said he did not know where the driver was when the bus was pictured empty, but speculated that they had been searching for phone signal – and Ms Charles added she too had no service when she was by the bus.
Mr Rushworth explained the bus blocking the lay-by by saying they were "trying to turn around and it was a little tighter in the dark".
"A combination of circumstances meant the bus has ended up looking abandoned in a weird spot," he said.
Mr Rushworth said the bus was later towed to a garage in Cardiff and has since been fixed.