A total of 15 firefighters from Aldridge, Bloxwich and Perry Barr joined police to help scour the scene and look for anyone who may have been trapped inside or underneath the vehicle. 

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 Restaurant owner Richard Gladwin is facing the loss of the licence for his fashionable Chelsea diner after a man was arrested brandishing a shotgun in the street and taking aim at a passing taxi driver.

Mr Gladwin, 31, a part-owner of “wild food” restaurant Rabbit, was arrested by armed police after passers-by reported a man walking down King’s Road in the early hours with a shotgun.

There were also reports of a man “in a shooting stance” pointing the gun at a taxi driving past and then walking into the Rabbit restaurant.

http://goo.gl/NkZ0sk

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 BIRMINGHAM

 
More than 110 cabbies with criminal records - including four once jailed for violence - have been granted licences by Birmingham City Council.

The Hackney Carriage and private hire operators have been allowed to work in the trade despite committing more than 300 offences, which also include possessing drugs, CS gas, dangerous driving and speeding.


A Birmingham Mail investigation has discovered 114 cabbies were granted licences by the council in the last two years after disclosing their criminal pasts.

They include one driver who served four and a half years in jail for wounding with intent to commit GBH in 2009.

Another cabbie given the green light by the council, spent three years in a young offender institution after committing the same offence in 2007.

Others have been jailed for assault, while one driver was fined £250 in 2013 after failing to carry out a booking made by a disabled person, accompanied by their guide dog.

Another who successfully won a licence collected two fines for failing to stop after an accident and driving without due care and attention in 2013.

The city council has defended its licensing committee decisions, and states the cabbies with criminal pasts represent just 1.8 per cent of the 6,250 licences granted each year.

But Mohammed Taj, from Birmingham Black Cab Drivers Association, said: “I am quite surprised that Birmingham City Council has licensed so many ex-cons, many of whom appear to have serious convictions, convictions for violence, which could potentially put the health and safety of the public at risk.

“Having a conviction for violence suggests a person has violent tendencies and you have to ask yourself whether such people should be trusted to remain in a position of trust as taxi drivers, often dealing with vulnerable members of the public.”

http://goo.gl/4KRtY1

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 LONDON

 A lack of taxi ranks could leave passengers stranded when the proposed 24-hour operation of some London Underground routes begins, claims Labour London Assembly Transport spokesman Val Shawcross.

Shawcross says that 72 of the 144 stations on the Night Tube network do not have a taxi rank within 250 metres, and that this could leave passengers “struggling to complete their journey”. The issue is said to be particularly acute in outer London, where two-thirds of Night Tube stations do not have taxi ranks. In inner London 64% of stations have one nearby, as well as more frequent night bus services.

TfL plans to add taxi ranks to 26 Night Tube stations, but Shawcross is calling on London Mayor Boris Johnson to ensure all have a taxi rank within 250 metres.

“With the Night Tube start pushed back to autumn, the Mayor has a chance to put his foot on the accelerator and get this sorted,” she said.

“The Night Tube will only get you so far. People need to know that when they get off the Tube there will be a taxi there to help them finish their journey safely if they want it.”

http://goo.gl/zhC98Y

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SHROPSHIRE

A private hire taxi driver licensed by Shropshire Council, was sentenced at Telford Magistrates Court yesterday after being caught illegally plying for hire in Telford.

 Manawar Hussian of Birmingham, was caught in Wellington by Licensing Officers from Telford & Wrekin Council when he accepted an un-booked fare after being approached by police special constables posing as prospective customers as part of a joint undercover operation at the end of last year.

 He pleaded guilty to the offences of plying for hire and having no motor insurance for the journey undertaken. Following the successful prosecution by Telford & Wrekin Council Mr Hussain was ordered by the court to pay a total of £2,076 in fines and costs and also received seven penalty points on his driving license.

 Nicky Minshall, Service Delivery Manager for Public Protection, said: “These operations are part of our ongoing efforts to ensure that taxi drivers operating in Telford and Wrekin, and the taxis they drive, comply with the law and are properly insured. “This is a matter of public safety and members of the public are extremely vulnerable if they ‘flag down’ a private hire vehicle which can only accept pre-booked journeys. “We urge anyone in the borough taking a taxi to use one that is pre-booked through a licensed operator or is a Hackney carriage licensed by Telford & Wrekin Council. “We will continue to crack down on all taxi drivers and operators who ignore the rules and we encourage members of the public to report illegal activity to us.

 We can use this information to help determine our enforcement activities.”

http://goo.gl/S5rkaQ
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 University launches free taxi scheme for students following Cardiff sex attacks.

 

Cardiff University has been making its students aware of its Safe Taxi scheme on social media sites following three sexual assaults in the city in five days.

Two men are being questioned by police following a report of a 'serious sexual assault' near Gorsedd Gardens in Cardiff city centre.

The incidents were reported within a mile of each other. South Wales Police says it is too soon to tell whether the attacks are linked.

http://goo.gl/m5xcuy
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