MIDDLESBORO

 A takeaway and a taxi have been linked to a coronavirus outbreak in Middlesbrough.

The Teesside town has seen a cluster of 28 cases in the past week, far higher than previous increases.

Officials are now tracing anyone who travelled in a specific taxi in the town after a person who used the vehicle tested positive, Teesside Live reports.

Some nine new Covid-19 cases have been reported in the town today, bringing the total to 28.

Public health teams have also probed a link between a positive coronavirus case and a town centre takeaway business, but have decided that no further action is required at this stage.

Middlesbrough Council and Public Health England’s North East Health Protection team are also now in the process of contacting anyone who used a taxi linked to a person who has tested positive, it's now been confirmed.

The taxi has not been used since July 25, was fitted with a protective screen when in use, and the taxi company is providing details of any passengers who need to be contacted.

https://www.mirror.co.uk

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SHEFFIELD

A taxi driver says traffic at Sheffield railway station is the worst it has been in 30 years - after the rank was named the second most polluted place in England.

Diesel trains and cabs were blamed after Friends of the Earth highlighted the rank as one of the worst places for harmful pollutants - above four London locations.

It came second in a top ten of sites with the highest annual average nitrogen dioxide levels.

Ibrar Hussain, GMB branch secretary for the taxi trade and a driver himself, says taxis aren't the only problem.

He said: "The layout at the station is a major contributor to the emissions. It's a very poor design and is chaotic.

"The vast majority of times traffic is at a standstill, especially at busy periods. The emissions are from traffic chaos but there are other vehicles such as passenger cars entering the rank area so you cannot blame taxis alone.

"Drivers are very conscious of the problems of working at the station, but no one listens. It cost millions of pounds to design the area, but no one thought of traffic layout coming in and out, especially the location of the rank."

Mr Hussain said Sheffield Council needed to "think outside the box".

"I have been working on the station for more than 30 years and the traffic situation has never been so bad. The whole infrastructure and layout is wrong and needs a rethink.

"All around Suffolk Road, Sheaf Street and inside the station area needs looking at and changing."

Coun Bob Johnson, Cabinet member for transport at Sheffield Council, said one of the most significant ways of improving the air quality at the station was the electrification of the Midland Main Line and the replacement of the diesel trains.

He added: "We are also planning for the introduction of a Clean Air Zone, which would also go towards reducing pollution throughout the city by incentivising drivers to buy cleaner vehicles.

"The zone would charge the most polluting diesel vehicles, while offering grants and support for drivers who chose cleaner vehicles, such as electric taxis."

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news

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UberK has announced that users who open the app in UK towns and cities where it does not operate will be connected to local taxi drivers.

The ride-hailing company said hundreds of thousands of people open the app each month in places where they cannot request a ride.

The change will make it possible for users to find a journey on the app and pay for it through Uber.

The service will be possible due to the company’s agreement to acquire tech firm Autocab.

Amongst these locations is Swansea, where the firm said 18,000 people open the app to not be able to request a ride.

Autocab Chief Executive Safa Alkatab said that the move would make services in various cities across the country more efficient.

“Autocab has been working with local operators across the world to provide the technology to make them more efficient and open up a marketplace to provide more trips," he said.

“Working with Uber we can scale up our ambitions, providing hundreds of thousands of additional trips for our customers, and help cement the place of licensed operators in their local community.”

Uber said Autocab will “remain independent” following the acquisition and will maintain its own board.

https://www.itv.com/news/wales/