Taxi Driver Online

The West Briton

November 30, 2006 Thursday

HEADLINE: Illegal don't drink-drive signs must be removed

Large signs put up around Truro advertising an unusual taxi service are illegal, according to Cornwall County Council.

The bright blue signs state: "Don't drink and drive this Christmas - call an Angel and get you and your car home safely".

A total of 55 signs have been erected by the founder of Angels, Ian Lovering. Angels is a novel chauffeur taxi service, launched in July, which uses miniature monkey bikes that can be taken apart and placed into the boot of most cars.

Customers can contact a driver, who will arrive on one of the bikes, stow it away in the boot of their car and drive them home. But Mr Lovering told The West Briton that not long after putting up the signs on roads around Truro he was contacted by the county council demanding they be removed.

"This was just a temporary, four-week campaign in the lead-up to Christmas," he said. "If it can just save one household the misery of a death by a drink-driver then it will have worked."

He has asked the council for a stay of execution. But the county's divisional surveyor Peter Tatlow, said: "This is basically advertising illegally on the highway. If we don't see them being cleared away immediately we have the powers to remove them ourselves and send him the bill." Mr Tatlow said he had received complaints about the signs from the public and from Carrick District Council's planning department.

He said other organisations were also flouting the law putting up illegal signs on grass verges. "We have difficulty keeping on top of it all," said Mr Tatlow.

Mr Lovering said he had planned t put up even more signs but admitted he was now re-considering his plans.
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