Maybe the headline should read 'driver of taxi' rather than 'taxi driver'
And I wonder if he was really *fined* £1,600...
Taxi driver fined over £1,600 for no licence or insurance
https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/n ... insurance/
A man has been fined more than £1,600 after being caught driving a taxi without a licence or insurance.
Mohammed Manir, 63, of Beech Street, Rawtenstall, was found guilty of the offences after being spotted by enforcement officers in Burnley Road, Crawshawbooth, on March 17.
The officers, from Rossendale Council’s Public Protection Unit, identified Manir as someone who had not held a hackney carriage driver licence for several years and noticed the vehicle was missing its required roof light.
Councillor Adrian Lythgoe, lead member for environment and corporate services at Rossendale Council, said: "Being licensed to drive a taxi isn’t a box-ticking exercise; it comes with important responsibilities and safeguards the people using those vehicles.
"Passengers should be able to get into a taxi knowing that the person behind the wheel is properly licensed and that the vehicle is appropriately insured.
"In this case, neither of those requirements was met.
"I’d like to thank the Council’s Public Protection officers for spotting the issue and following it through.
"Their work, alongside our wider enforcement teams, helps make sure the rules are followed and concerns are properly investigated, and we’ll continue this work across the borough so people can have confidence when using local taxis."
Officers followed the vehicle until it stopped and confirmed that Manir was not the owner.
He was reported for driving a hackney carriage without the required driver licence and without insurance.
Manir appeared at Burnley Magistrates’ Court on September 22, where he pleaded not guilty.
He told the court he had been test-driving the vehicle and believed his trader insurance policy covered him.
