A COACH carrying 55 tourists was seized at Blenheim Palace yesterday after police found the driver was not qualified to drive it. 

Officers from Thames Valley Police's road policing team stopped the vehicle in the grounds of the stately home in the afternoon. 

The driver, who has not been named, was found to only possess a category B car licence.

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Anyone driving a bus that has more than eight passengers needs a category D licence instead.

They also found the coach had been driven for the last ten days without a tacho card, a device which records information about driving time, speed and distance to ensure drivers are obeying rules governing how long they are able to drive. 

A tyre was also found to be defective. 

Police said they had seized the bus and issued a 'big fine'.

It is not known what happened to the group of tourists. 

Coaches have long been a controversial subject in Oxford with some complaining they clog up the roads and park inappropriately in areas such as St Giles. 

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In March councillor Mary Clarkson suggested charging every coach £50 to pay for improving facilities for tourists in the city. 

This idea was criticised by the boss of the city's sight-seeing tour buses, Phil Southall, who said it would send an 'unwelcoming message' and damage the £2bn tourist economy.