SOUTHAMPTON

AN investigation has been launched after a taxi driver suffered serious injuries when he was crushed between his car and a bus in Southampton.

The 52-year-old driver was taken to Southampton General Hospital after he was struck by the bus outside Asda in Portland Terrace.

Now police are appealing for anyone who saw the collision to contact them immediately.

The taxi driver - who is said to be in serious but stable condition - had got out of his vehicle and was believed to be picking up or setting down passengers close to the bus stop, when he was in collision with a Bluestar bus.

The impact crushed him between both vehicles causing him to suffer severe chest injuries including broken ribs and injuries to his lungs and arms.

The taxi driver's passengers were inside the vehicle at the time and were uninjured.

Police arrived to seal off the road after the incident which took place at 11.30am yesterday.

They questioned bus driver but did not arrest him and the road was reopened nearly 40 minutes later.

A police spokesman said: "The bus was trying to manoeuvre around the car when the rear of the vehicle collided with the taxi driver.

"Police have spoken to the bus driver and we are appealing for anyone who was in the area to help with our investigations. It happened in a very busy street."

Bluestar operations manager Paul Coyne said: "A Bluestar bus was involved in a serious incident yesterday when our vehicle was involved in a collision with a pedestrian in Portland Terrace.

“At this stage, the circumstances behind this incident are unclear but the safety of our drivers, passengers and other road users is a high priority and we are cooperating fully with the authorities as they carry out their investigations.

“Our primary concern right now is for the wellbeing of the individual who was involved. Our thoughts are with him and his family, we wish him a full and speedy recovery and will be monitoring his progress very carefully.”

http://goo.gl/aJ0Tao
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LIVERPOOL

A taxi driver drove his car at his former partner and her new boyfriend after she left him for the godfather of their child.

Peter Rogers, 50, saw red when he spotted Pearl Mann with Darren Coker outside her place of work in Lodge Lane, Toxteth on June 3 this year.


Liverpool Crown Court heard they hid when Rogers approached them carrying an item he had removed from the boot of his private hire vehicle at around 1pm.

But 10 minutes later as they walked near Moss Grove, the pair saw Rogers pull out from behind two parked cars and drive at them in his Ford Mondeo.

The court heard Rogers mounted the pavement and they had to take “evasive action” to avoid being hit.

Kenneth Grant, prosecuting, said Rogers, of Trefoil Close, Toxteth, was then forced to swerve to avoid crashing into a bus stop.

Mr Grant said: “He did a U-turn and drove back towards them. He shouted words to the effect of ‘do you think you’re bad? I’m going to kill you, watch’.”

The court heard Mr Coker was walking along Sefton Park Road on June 9 when Rogers drove the wrong way up the street to follow him.

Mr Grant said Rogers got out of the car carrying “some sort of metallic object”.

He hurled insults at Mr Coker, who feared he was going to be attacked, and flagged down a bus to get away.

However, Rogers pursued the bus in his taxi, “pointing and glaring” at his victim, who only got off when he saw police on Smithdown Road.

The court heard 10 domestic violence related incidents involving Rogers and Miss Mann had been reported to officers.

The judge, Recorder Mukhtar Hussain, QC, said: “There appears to be a number of incidents from the point of view of Miss Mann, which have forced her to make phone calls to the police.”

Rogers admitted dangerous driving and was found guilty of harassment after a trial.

He has previous convictions for assault and handling stolen goods in the 1980s.

Louise Santamera, defending, said he was “genuinely sorry”.

She said: “He had a hard time accepting his ex-partner’s new relationship with the complainant, in particular because he had a very close relationship with his son and he felt it was inappropriate for somebody who is the godfather of his son to become in effect his step father.

“He had grave difficulties reconciling himself with that, which he believed to be a moral issue.”

She said Rogers accepted his behaviour was “crass and reckless” and “his temper got the better of him”.

Ms Santamera said he had been “aggressive and assertive” because “he is of the view Mr Coker is no wallflower himself and not somebody he could probably have a reasonable discussion with”.

She said her client spent two weeks on remand, which “brought him to his senses”, and is no longer driving taxis.

Recorder Hussain said Rogers displayed no remorse during the trial for the “dreadful incident”.

He said he was “clearly in possession of some form of offensive weapon” on June 9 and it was “very fortunate” Mr Coker escaped.

However, he said the age of his previous convictions showed he was able to lead a “law-abiding and productive life”.

The judge jailed him for 12 months, suspended for two years, and banned him from driving for a year.

He said he must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and attend a Building Better Relationships programme.

Recorder Hussain also gave Rogers a four-month home curfew and slapped him with an indefinite restraining order, preventing him from contacting his victims.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/angry-taxi-driver-drove-car-10645761
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LANCASTER

A man paid £35 for a three mile journey to Lancaster following the floods and blackouts earlier this month.

Dave Physick was going on holiday in the early hours of Monday December 7.



He had pre-arranged for a taxi to pick him and his wife up from their home in Slyne and drop them in Dalton Square.


Dave, 67, said he called into the 848848 taxi office in Mary Street to check his booking the day before.

He said: “At 3am the taxi arrived and the driver said he wanted £55 from Slyne to Dalton Square as I told the driver that Denny Beck Bridge was open.

“After some negotiation we settled at £45. It took us less than 20 minutes to get to Dalton Square going over Denny Beck Bridge.

“I was charged £35 in the end.”

He arrived at Dalton Square to find no transport waiting for his three day trip to Munich, Salzburg and Innsbruck in Germany, so he and his wife walked back to Slyne with their suitcases.

Dave said: “Just as we arrived back the electric came back on and I was able to contact the holiday company. They sent a taxi to us from Preston and the driver took us all the way to Beaconsfield, near Oxford, to meet the coach coach we were supposed to get from Dalton Square.

“I was hoping to sort it out with the owner of Mary St Taxis but he was not interested because I did not have the taxi number.

“There were very few taxis out that night so it would not be difficult to trace.”

Robin Mitchell, a director at 848848 Ltd said: “We had very little information that night and drivers were having to go up to Carnforth via Galgate to get across the river.


“The driver didn’t know Denny Beck was open, so he had to go the long way.

“When the customer told him it was open he used that route, but the cost reflected the time and petrol it took for the driver to get there.”

Dave said he was in the process of contacting the taxi regulator. Lancaster City Council said anyone with complaints about Hackney Carriages or private taxis should contact 01524 582033.

http://goo.gl/yV7BFt