A gardener has got away with calling a massive insurance company a "shower of b******s" - by painting it on his VAN.

Alan Clark had charges against him dropped after his protest against insurance giant Aviva saw him summoned to court on public order offences.

But on Tuesday he was told there was insufficient evidence against him and has vowed that the sign will remain as he is "absolutely furious".

The 68-year-old gardener was embroiled in a bitter dispute with his former car insurance firm after they cancelled his policy and demanded £900 to reinstate it.

Angry Alan, from Rickmansworth, Bucks., got revenge by painting the message "Aviva Insurance, shower of b******s" on his van.

But he was threatened with a public order offence for the words as they were likely to cause shock and alarm after police claimed that a mother lodged a formal complaint against the message.

Alan said: "I can't believe they dropped them, after all this. I had at least 40 pages' worth of evidence and law that I was preparing to cross-examine the police with.

"They never had any evidence and I knew that all along.

"They're so stupid. The whole thing was so hypocritical too - I was going to cite Plebgate to them.

"Andrew Mitchell never even appeared in a magistrates' court for calling police officers plebs.

"Why should I have to defend myself if he never?

"The law should be the same for everybody."

In a letter the Crown Prosecution Service told Alan that if any further evidence comes to light his case will be reopened, but he has insisted that the message will stay on his van.

Alan said he is still fighting his battle against Aviva Car Insurance - who claimed he lied about a no claims bonus - and said he plans to take them to the small claims court.

He added: "It's in the garage for repairs at the moment and I've told them not to touch the message.

"I'll keep fighting this - I'll fight anything if it's the right thing to do. I was never going to pay those charges; I'd have gone to prison before I paid those courts any money."

Aviva Insurance has refused to insure Alan's vehicles again but sent him a two-year no claims bonus certificate.

Alan added: "I get about 30 to 40 people a week giving me the thumbs up, and lots of people stopping to ask for my picture.

"The sign isn't going anywhere until Aviva give me back my money and apologise. William Shakespeare used the word bastard hundreds of times in his writings, in every implied sense.

"Perhaps the police would like to ban these plays being performed in public?"