Taxi Driver Online

Eleven taxis taken off the road in spot check swoop

Eleven taxis have been taken off the road in Blackpool following a major police operation on Saturday night. Following a tip off a number of private hire vehicles and street cabs were stopped in order to conduct road worthiness checks.

The operation resulted in 14 taxis being taken to Blackpool Council's Layton depot for examination. Of the 14, 11 were taken off the road, with five receiving immediate prohibitions.

Two further taxis received seven day notices, and one taxi was seized after the driver was arrested following the discovery of drugs in his cab.

PC Iain Begg from the division's road policing department, said: "People who operate taxis have a responsibility to themselves, their passengers and other road users to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy and safe.

"Following the operation a number of taxis attempted to grid lock the town centre preventing emergency service vehicles, including ambulances, reaching their destinations. This action was irresponsible and could have resulted in loss of life.

"We have close links with many of the taxi companies and work together on a number of partnership initiatives to ensure Blackpool is a safe place for our visitors.

"If vehicles are roadworthy and safe for people to travel in then taxi operators have nothing to worry about.

"Fare paying passengers have a right to be taken to their destination secure in the knowledge that the vehicle they are travelling in is roadworthy."

The targeted council led policing operation included council taxi licensing enforcement officers and VOSA, together with police officers.

It lead to more than 100 angry cabbies holding an impromptu strike along the Promenade in the early hours of Sunday morning. Drivers from cab firms across Blackpool drove in convoy through the resort in protest at the spot checks.

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IDFIMH

Don't know the full SP, but if any of that is true then the Blackpool trade should be utterly ashamed of itself.

The place is a sh** hole, most cabs wouldn't get licensed anywhere else, but all the trade can do is get the hump when the council do what they are paid to do.

Tits with a capital T.

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IDFIMH

I agree. Do they think they are above the law in Blackpool?

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

You're starting to sound like Flanagan.

Been there often?

lol Echos of Leicester.

To be quite candid from what I can deduce from the activities of drivers and or owners of hackney carriage and private hire vehicles is that the culture of demonstration in respect of enforcement is driven by those from the Asian continent. I can't think of any indigenous Brit who would consider demonstrating over what is an accepted part of licensing enforcement.

Does anyone else share my observations?

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

Well as it happens yes.

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IDFIMH