Nine Taxis Taken Off Roads In Burnley and Padiham After Safety Spotchecks
25 August 2009
Nine taxis were taken off the road following an enforcement exercise carried out on Friday evening by Lancashire Police, Burnley Council and HM Revenue & Customs.
The exercise, which all operators were warned would take place at some point, was to protect public safety by testing the roadworthiness of private hire and hackney carriages in Burnley and Padiham. In addition, all the vehicles were also checked for illegal oils by HM Revenue and Customs
A total of 33 vehicles were stopped during the operation. Seven were found to have minor defects ranging from broken light bulbs to a cracked wing mirror but nine had problems so serious the vehicles were immediately prohibited from using the roads. These problems included leaking brake fluid, suspension wear and damage to seat belts.
Insp. Mark Baines, from Burnley Police, said: "I am sure the vast majority of drivers and operators take their responsibilities very seriously and make sure their vehicles are maintained to the highest standards. In fact a good number of operators welcomed the checks.
"However as this exercise has shown, there are some who have not been complying with the law and that is clearly a cause for concern.
"While some of the defects were relatively minor, others were very serious and could have put passengers in unnecessary danger. This issue is currently being addressed by both the police and council.
"In the meantime, I would like to remind taxi drivers and operators of their responsibilities. The last thing we want is to see anyone killed or injured on our roads because they were travelling in an unroadworthy vehicle."
Graham Forbes, HMRC Special Investigations Manager, said he was pleased all the vehicles tested were using legal fuel and oils.
He said: "HM Revenue & Customs work closely with other law enforcement agencies inland such as local councils, regional police forces and various licensing bodies as part of their routine work to tackle the illegal tobacco, alcohol and oils trade.
"In this case, we were working with Lancashire Police to ascertain if any taxis were using illegal oils and I am pleased to say none of the vehicles were."
He said public support was vital for HMRC to continue its partnership work, stating: "Of all our partners, the public is one of the most vital in our fight against fraudsters. We are keen to work closely with local people and communities in the fight against this type of crime.
"It isn't about cheating the Government out of a few pounds; it's about depriving our public services of vital funding. We want honest fuel retailers to be able to operate without the threat of unfair competition; and we want drivers to be aware of their responsibilities.
"We would encourage anyone who knows of people selling or using illegal oils such as red diesel to contact the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000 or email
customs.hotline@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk ."
Coun. Charlie Briggs, Burnley Council's Executive member responsible for public safety, said: "Ensuring our taxis are safe and roadworthy is a top priority, not only for the safety of members of the public using them but also for the drivers.
"The council fully supports enforcement exercises like this which highlight that while the majority of operators take their responsibilities seriously, there are a minority who are failing to properly maintain their vehicles.
"We will continue to work with the police and other agencies to ensure we're doing all we can to ensure the safety of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in our borough."
Source; BurnleyExpress.net
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