And, indeed, it's all kicking off in the press 
This is from the Derby Telegraph/Derby Live site, and a similar but shorter article also on the BBC local news site
But the usual trick for this kind of operation of making it clear that the driver is self-employed blah, blah, and thus doing their best to distance the brand from the driver and his misdeeds 
(The YouTuber takes the opposite view, and says Western doing the right thing by making it clear that the driver's conduct isn't really their direct responsibility. Of course, to a degree he's right, but I tend to view these things through the lens of the employment status thing, which is a whole different ball game...)
Derby taxi driver sacked by firm after alleged fly-tipping incident
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/d ... m-10107825
The taxi firm has responded to the alleged incident after a video circulated online
A Derby taxi firm has sacked one of its drivers in response to an alleged fly-tipping incident in South Derbyshire last week. It comes after a video appeared to show a man with a Western Cars-branded taxi near a lay-by on Tuesday (April  , with a person confronting the driver over allegations he was using the area, near Willington, to discard waste.
Western Cars has now responded after confirming it had suspended one of its drivers in relation to an incident. Giving its timeline of events, a spokesperson for the firm said: "Western Cars wishes to provide an update regarding a video that has been shared online involving one of our affiliated drivers.
"On Wednesday, April 9, Western Cars was made aware of a video involving one of our affiliated drivers. We immediately took the following actions.
"The driver was suspended on Wednesday evening pending investigation. We notified relevant local authorities about the situation. We released an initial statement acknowledging the matter and our commitment to investigating it thoroughly."
The statement added that an inspection of the site was carried out on April 10. It was given the all-clear by inspectors and footage of the cleared site was shared by Western Cars.
The company has now confirmed that a driver is "no longer affiliated" with Western Cars following the emergence of the video. "Our drivers operate as self-employed contractors whilst representing our brand, and we uphold clear standards regarding professional conduct across our operation.
"We understand that the relevant local authorities are conducting their own enquiries into the matter. We are cooperating fully with these inquiries and will continue to do so as required.
"Western Cars is committed to operating responsibly within our community. We expect professional conduct from all drivers who represent our brand. We would like to thank our customers and the wider public for their patience as we have worked to address this situation promptly and appropriately."
South Derbyshire District Council has confirmed that it received a report regarding an alleged fly-tipping incident in Willington, adding that it had launched an investigation into the matter. A spokesperson for the authority said: "I can confirm that South Derbyshire District Council received a report on April 8 regarding an alleged fly-tipping incident in Willington.
"Following the initial complaint, our community safety enforcement team launched an investigation into the matter. We are currently in the process of gathering all relevant evidence and conducting thorough inquiries.
"We take incidents of fly-tipping very seriously, and we are committed to ensuring that those responsible are held accountable for their actions. I would like to remind the public that fly-tipping is a criminal offence, and anyone caught fly-tipping can face significant fines or even prosecution."
The statement went on to add that further details are unavailable at this time, due it being an ongoing investigation. It also thanked the community for their vigilance in reporting the issue.
|
