Hull taxi driver glassed in face as colleagues tell of fear and threatsA TAXI driver says he is "terrified" to work at night after he was attacked with a glass bottle outside a Hull nightclub.
Imran Choudhury, 25, was flagged down just before 3am on Christmas Day by a group of eight people outside The Sugar Mill in Dagger Lane, city centre.
He says an argument ensued when he ordered one of the revellers out of his Hackney carriage for safety reasons.
Mr Choudhury said: "They all jumped into my taxi. My licence states I can only carry seven passengers at a time, so I told them that one had to get out.
"One of the men came to the driver-side window, which was down, and offered me more money if I took them.
"I told them I would lose my licence. I saw he had a bottle in his hand. He asked me again. I told him, 'No'. He then threw the bottle and it hit my head."
Mr Choudhury says he was left dazed following the attack, but did not lose consciousness.
Door staff from The Sugar Mill rushed to Mr Choudhury's aid and he was taken by ambulance to Hull Royal Infirmary, where he was treated for a gash to his forehead.
Police later arrested a man in connection with the attack.
Mr Choudhury, 25, who has yet to return to work, says he is dreading his next night shift.
"I have been a taxi driver for two years in Hull," he said. "The situation is now very bad. I am really worried driving my taxi at night."
Mr Choudhury's friend, Meherban Ali, who also drives a Hackney carriage, said drivers are fearful of working at night for fear of becoming a victim of violence.
There appears to be no evidence to suggest the attack on Mr Choudhury was racially motivated, but Mr Ali says "foreign" drivers are increasingly being subjected to racist abuse.
"People in Hull struggle to get a taxi at night," he said. "Ask yourself why. There are 170 licence plates in this city. If most worked nights, there would be no shortage.
"The reality is that most English drivers decide it's not worth the hassle working at night. If it wasn't for the foreign drivers, no one would be going home at night."
Mr Ali, who was born in this country and sees himself as British, says he is perceived to be "foreign".
"In the past few weeks, I have been called an Isis b****** and a P*** b*******," he said.
"I have been told to go back to my own country and asked how I managed to get across the border.
"Only the other day I had someone accuse me of ripping them off. He told me, 'We know what sort of taxi drivers you lot are'.
"It has to stop. Abuse against all taxi drivers has to drop. We all need to be treated with the respect we deserve for just doing our jobs."
Another Hackney carriage driver, who did not want to be named, believes the authorities need to take note of their concerns.
"We need taxi marshals," he said. "The abuse we are getting has got so bad that some of us are considering finishing early on New Year's Eve."
In a statement, Humberside Police said: "A 20-year-old Hull man was arrested on suspicion of assault following an incident outside The Sugar Mill nightclub in Dagger Lane.
"A taxi driver suffered a cut to the face as a result of the altercation, which happened between 2.50am and 3am on Christmas Day.
"It is claimed the altercation was sparked by a dispute over the driver's refusal to take a passenger and that a bottle was thrown through the open window, injuring his face.
"Officers investigating the incident are now appealing for independent witnesses to come forward.
"The 20-year-old has been bailed to a date in January pending further enquiries."
Anyone with information should call Humberside Police on 101, quoting crime reference number 2159318.
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