cheltenham gold cup againPrivate-hire drivers Mohammed Heckbarally and Mansour Khozani were prosecuted after they took council officers on non-pre-booked journeys
Two private-hire drivers have been fined hundreds of pounds for illegally picking up passengers in Cheltenham.
Mohammed Heckbarally and Mansour Khozani were prosecuted after they took Gloucester City Council licensing officers on non-pre-booked journeys in March.
Two council officers were walking along Royal Well Road in Cheltenham at around 8pm on March 17.
Heckbarally, who is licensed with Tewkesbury Borough Council, stopped his private-hire vehicle after one of the officers flagged it down.
The driver agreed to take the officers on a journey of their choosing, suggesting a price of £30.
They got into the taxi, which continued on its journey, until officers asked that the driver pull over.
Heckbarally was cautioned and reported for illegally plying for hire.
After admitting to that charge and driving without insurance on August 21, he was fined £680 and received six penalty points.
The second driver, Mansour Khozani, is a Cheltenham Borough Council private-hire licensed driver.
Two licensing officers were walking along Albion Street, Cheltenham, on March 15 at around 9pm, when Khozani's non-pre-booked vehicle stopped.
Khozani agreed to take the officers on a journey of their choosing and suggested a price of £35.
After he started driving them, they asked that he pull over, before cautioning him and reporting him for illegally plying for hire.
Khozani pleaded guilty to that charge and to driving with no insurance on August 21, receiving a £1,220 fine and six penalty points.
Councillor Andrew McKinlay, cabinet member for development and safety, said: “During big meetings such as the festival, Cheltenham faces challenges including unlicensed drivers coming to Cheltenham to unlawfully work.
"This presents real public safety issues for people who get into unlicensed vehicles driven by drivers who are not properly licensed and checked.
“During significantly busy periods such as the festival in March, the council relies of support from its partners to ensure that such events remain safe and well managed.
"These two prosecutions are evidence that this partnership is effective in keeping residents and visitors to Cheltenham safe."
The councillor thanked Gloucester City Council for their support.
Sarah Hughes, licensing enforcement officer at Cheltenham Borough Council, added: “These prosecutions highlight the success of partnership working with our colleagues from other local authorities.
“It also gives a warning to drivers who wish to capitalise on the additional footfall to Cheltenham during Gold Cup week that we will take action should they operate unlawfully.
“We ask that the public, when visiting Cheltenham, to either pre-book a private hire vehicle in advance through an operator or take a journey with a Cheltenham licensed hackney carriage vehicle.
"We will continue to put additional resources out during major races to monitor such activity.”
Login
Register
FAQ
