A man who wrote his name and telephone number on the side of his van has lost his privacy complaint against a regional daily.

Gordon McDaid complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation after the Greenock Telegraph published a photograph of his van after it was involved in a road crash.

Complaining under Clause 2 (Privacy) of the Editors’ Code of Practice, Mr McDaid claimed his privacy had been breached because the photo identified him as being involved in the collision, due to the publication of the image of his van, which showed his phone number, name, and number plate.

Denying a breach of Code, the Telegraph said Mr McDaid had chosen to write his name and phone number on the side of his van and these details would have been seen by anyone who passed the collision, or who had seen the van driving around the area.

The newspaper asserted that hundreds of people would have passed the collision site due to its location, adding there was a clear public interest as the accident had caused severe disruption to traffic on one of the busiest roads in the area.

The Telegraph still removed the online story as a gesture of goodwill, but Mr McDaid did not accept this a resolution to his complaint.

IPSO found the story was of legitimate interest to the Telegraph’s readers as the cause of significant disruption and a potential safety risk.

The collision had occurred on a busy road in the area and so the scene depicted in the photograph – including the name on the side of the van – would have been seen by a number of people who passed the site of the crash.

In addition, IPSO noted the story had not included detailed information about Mr McDaid’s health, other than a broad comment as to the seriousness of his injuries.

The complaint was not upheld, and the full adjudication can be read here.