Think of vans associated with dogs and the mind immediately goes to the council dog catcher or perhaps a mobile pet grooming business, well the world is about to see a new van designed for dogs starting this weekend.

It is well documented that the UK is a nation of animal lovers and owners of dogs in the capital have the chance to indulge their canine chums that little bit more than usual. This Saturday, July 24^th at the Boomerang Pets Party in Regents Park, London, visitors will see the launch of the UK’s one and only ice cream van for dogs! Yes dogs. The name of the ice cream van, well naturally it has to be K99.

The van will be visiting dog and owner events all over the country this summer in a bid to cool both canine and human brows as the nation basks in the hottest temperatures for some time. Whether the vendor has to have special commercial vehicle insurance to serve dogs is another matter altogether.

Of course the canine gourmets will be offered a very special sort of ice cream. The van owners have researched the topic thoroughly and hit upon what they believe is the perfect flavour. What is the flavour? A scrumptious concoction of gammon and chicken ice cream served in a traditional cone and topped with that favourite treat, a biscuit bone. Enough to set the saliva glands of any family pet running at full pelt.

How exactly the dogs will handle paying for the treat and eating it will be a test no doubt and it’s to hope serviettes will be available.

Whatever next!

A report from one of Britain’s universities suggests that more van drivers than ever could be looking for cheap commercial vehicle insurance in the future, as used vans could well be in high demand and the vehicle of choice for many businesses.

A team led by Professor Peter Cooke at the University of Buckingham’s Centre for Automotive Management, believe that second hand commercial vehicles will become highly sought after vehicles because of their career longevity.

The report was published by British Car Auctions (BCA), who sends significant numbers of light commercial vehicles through their auctions, and backs up their own findings.

Duncan Ward BCA’s general manager for commercial vehicles, said that vans were more and more becoming part and parcel of everyday business life, with used vans being the preferred choice of small and medium size companies who can’t justify expenditure on new vehicles. He went on to say “Used LCVs also have a significantly longer ‘business life’ than cars, two or three more businesses using them, whereas cars typically have just one business user before being sold to a private motorist.”

The average price for a second hand van going through auctions in June was around £4,300, a drop on the 2010 highs achieved in April which were a couple of hundred pounds more, but still healthy when compared to 2009 figures. In the same period, new van sales continue to grow as companies who have held on to old vehicles through the financial downturn are eventually returning to the showrooms to buy new motors.