A Nantwich taxi driver helped to capture an unlicensed operator by catching him in the act on his dashcam footage.
Javeed Iqbal was plying for trade on a Hackney Carriage stand in Swine Market, Nantwich.
Iqbal did not have a licence to operate in the borough – and didn’t know he was being watched.
Another driver – properly licensed by Cheshire East Council, and who does not wish to be named – used his dashboard camera in his taxi to record Iqbal’s Stoke-on-Trent licence plate.
He then forwarded the information to the council’s enforcement team.
Iqbal, of Coronation Street, Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to the offence of unlawfully plying for hire within Cheshire East borough and a second offence of allowing his vehicle to wait in a designated Hackney Carriage stand.
Iqbal was fined £133 for each offence by South Cheshire Magistrates at Crewe, with £600 costs and a £30 victim surcharge, making a total of £896.
Cllr Ainsley Arnold, cabinet member with responsibility for enforcement, said: “I want to thank and applaud the taxi driver, who provided us with the important video evidence that helped to bring about this prosecution.
“The licensing enforcement team at Cheshire East is clamping down on taxi operators who are not licensed to operate in the borough and, as a consequence, may not be insured.
“This case sends out a powerful message to those operators who flout the taxi licensing laws in Cheshire East.
“This practice not only puts the personal safety of their passengers at risk but also deprives the borough’s responsible and regulated drivers of business.”
Anyone with information about unlicensed taxi operators or drivers who appear to be picking up fares outside their area should contact the Cheshire East Council enforcement team on 0300 123 5015
(Pic: Iqbal’s Toyota taxi caught on a dash cam plying for trade in Nantwich)
Recent Comments