A taxi driver from Caerphilly county borough has been taken to court and fined for operating an unlicensed taxi.
David Eastwick, of The Close, Cefn Hengoed was prosecuted by Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Trading Standards team, after it transpired that he used an unlicensed taxi vehicle to transport passengers on a total of 23 trips on 27th March 2010.
Although the vehicle itself was insured by the taxi operator, Eastwick failed to renew his Caerphilly County Borough Council taxi licence which had expired on 25th March 2010, meaning he was transporting passengers in a vehicle that had not passed the stringent safety checks set by the council.
The offences came to light following an anonymous complaint to Trading Standards.
The case was heard at Caerphilly Magistrates Court recently (19th July 2010) – Eastwick did not attend court therefore the case was proven in his absence. He was ordered to pay a £350 fine, £85 prosecution costs, £15 victim surcharge and £283.06 investigative costs.
Cllr Lyn Ackerman, Cabinet Member for the Environment said, “The safety of our residents in using taxis is of paramount importance to us, and fortunately we experience very few instances of unlicensed taxis attempting to operate in Caerphilly county borough.”
She continued, “This incident was particularly serious given that the driver was not driving a vehicle licensed by the council, therefore was driving a vehicle that had not passed the required safety checks.”
“I would encourage anyone with any information on unlicensed taxi drivers operating in Caerphilly county borough to contact us.”
For further information, or to report an unlicensed taxi in Caerphilly county borough, please contact Trading Standards on 01495 235 291.
