MANCHESTER

 A driver was caught on Deansgate with stolen taxi plates on his Ford Mondeo - before he led police on a 20-minute high-speed chase.

Anas Abuhdaima, 26, initially stopped for officers in Manchester city centre after they pulled him over.

He then attempted to flee, leading officers on a 20-minute pursuit in his Ford Mondeo, driving through red lights, on the wrong side of the road, and at speeds of up to 80 miles an hour, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Abuhdaima eventually stopped his car in Fallowfield, but ran from the vehicle and into a garden.

The force helicopter had to be used to track him down, before he was arrested.

Abuhdaima, from Moston, avoided jail.

https://tinyurl.com/y37ekjhk

WARRINGTON

COUNCILLORS have backed an increase in taxi fares in the town.

In March, the council’s taxi and other licensing committee considered four requests for a rise in the hackney carriage table of fares. The last increase was back in 2014. 

As of February 2020, the average fare in Warrington was £5.20.

Compared to all 361 authorities in the UK, this ranks Warrington at number 325 – in the price comparison chart compiled by Private Hire and Taxi Monthly. 

The committee was told a joint proposal put forward by four members of the taxi trade would result in an average percentage increase in fares of around seven per cent, with the fouling charge rising from £30 to £50.

The committee voted to increase the fares and fouling charge. It also backed the proposal for an annual tariff review.

However, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the trade acknowledged it was not the right time to consult on changes to the tariff during the initial lockdown.

But amended fare tariffs came before the committee during its virtual meeting on Tuesday and they were approved. They would result in an average increase of seven per cent.

Sagheer Zaman, a member of the taxi trade, welcomed the decision.

He said: “This is excellent news for the taxi trade in Warrington. The last fare increase came back in April 2014.

“Due to inflation, the living wage, petrol and insurance costs, this was needed.

“Work during the pandemic virtually fell flat on its face, we had no customers from stations and business parks with a lot of people working from home.

“There was no night-time economy too – drivers have had to rely on Government grants.”

The committee recommended the fare increase for a decision by the council’s cabinet and approved a public consultation on the changes.

The fare increase would only apply to the town’s hackney carriages and not private hire vehicles.

https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/19007516.fare-increase/

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LINCOLN

A taxi driver who admitted using a mobile phone just before a crash which killed one passenger and injured another has been jailed for two years.

Ian Penman was taking Wendy Short, 79, and her friend, Josephine Houghton, 71, home from a day out when he crashed into a lorry on Lincoln Bypass.

Lincoln Crown Court heard Penman, 67, had failed to notice stationary traffic after taking a call from his daughter.

Mrs Short died at the scene while Mrs Houghton suffered serious injuries.

Penman had made no attempt to brake before the crash, the court was told.

Andrew Scott, prosecuting, said Penman had picked the friends up from Pennell's Garden Centre on the afternoon of 23 July 2019.

"Initially, the journey home was uneventful. However, at some point as the taxi proceeded on the bypass, the defendant received a call on his mobile phone.

"Mrs Houghton noticed he was taking a call. She mentioned this and as a result Wendy Short said, 'He's on the phone. He shouldn't be doing that'.

"The next thing that happened was a big bang. The defendant drove straight into the back of a skip lorry," Mr Scott said.

Penman told an officer at the scene: "My phone went and I automatically picked it up. The truck in front had stopped. It was my fault."

He later told police he had little recollection of what had happened.

A police investigation found the skip lorry had been stationary for six seconds and Penman had been on the phone for 33 seconds prior to the crash.

In a statement, Wendy Short's daughter Michelle said: "It is so very hard to believe that mum went out for lunch and shopping and never returned."

She urged anyone considering using a phone while driving to think of Mrs Short before doing so.

"Your call can wait," she added.

Penman, of The Burrows, Nettleham, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving at an earlier hearing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-55646583

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PRESTWICH

A 'caring' young man was crushed to death by a taxi after falling into the road following a night out, an inquest has heard.

Aiden Worthington, 24, had spent the hours leading up to his death drinking at pubs around Prestwich town centre with his dad.

CCTV footage showed him 'staggering' along Bury New Road in the early hours of the morning, just moments before he was crushed by a taxi as he lay prone in the middle of the street.

An inquest into his death today heard that it was 'unclear' exactly how Aiden had ended up in the road, but it was likely he had 'stumbled' and fallen prior to the collision.

He suffered multiple injuries and died at the scene.

Rochdale Coroners Court heard Aiden had spent the evening of April 27, 2019, drinking in two Prestwich pubs with his father, Robert Worthington.

They first met at the Red Lion, in Bury New Road, at 4.30pm before making the short journey to the Railway & Naturalist pub half an hour later.

By 8pm they had met up with some of Mr Worthington's work colleagues and returned to the Red Lion.

Later that evening, they headed back to the Railway & Naturalist.

Mr Worthington said that although his son was 'quite drunk' by this point, he still 'seemed his normal self'.

At 12.18am, Mr Worthington ordered a taxi to go home, but Aiden told him he wanted to stay out.

After unsuccessfully trying to persuade his son to join him, Mr Worthington left in the taxi alone.

PC Darren White, from Greater Manchester Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, told the hearing that police were unsure of Aiden's movements in the 90 minutes that followed.

However, CCTV captured a figure matching Aiden's description staggering along Bury New Road, near to Marks & Spencer, at 1.48am.

Shortly before 2.10am, dashcam footage from a taxi showed Aiden walking along the pavement further along the main road, heading towards Manchester.

PC Laura Drew, a forensic collision investigator at GMP, revealed that CCTV footage from a school close near to Charlton Avenue had captured a figure, believed to be Aiden, walking in the middle of the road just seconds before the crash happened.

She said he then disappeared from view, and it was 'unclear' how he had ended up lay in the road.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/tragedy-caring-young-man-crushed-19621003

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READING

A taxi driver has been ordered to pay more than £700 after illegally accepting fares in Reading.

Muhammad Ibrahim – who holds a joint Hackney Carriage & Private Hire licence with South Oxfordshire District Council - was found guilty of illegally plying for hire and operating without insurance on 7 March 2020.

He was found out after agreeing to take a fare from a Council Officer without a formal booking.

Ibrahim, of Keswick Gardens, Woodley, was also unable to produce his badges when requested of him at the roadside.

Ibrahim was found guilty at Reading Magistrates Court and has been ordered to pay a total of £732 in financial penalties, including a £200 fine, legal costs of £500, and a £30 victim surcharge.

Six penalty points were also added to his driving licence.

Councillor Tony Page, Lead Councillor for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, said: “This is an excellent result from the Council’s licensing team who work hard to enforce regulations in place to protect the travelling public.

https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/taxi-driver-illegal-fare-reading-19604138

Tim Farron Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Housing, Communities and Local Government)  6:29 pm, 6th January 2021

The proposed restrictions are right. There is no greater freedom than the right to life and we are willing to suspend many freedoms to protect especially those who are vulnerable, and those who work night and day in the NHS and our care settings to protect us. They deserve and require us to abide by the regulations and rules—we owe it to them—not least because we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Given that the vaccination programme is beginning, it is all the more urgent that the Government recognise the importance of supporting the economy and everybody within it throughout the coming months. We know that it is not an ill-defined and possibly indefinite period, but that this will be over at some point in the coming months.

 That is a source of great joy and should focus the Chancellor’s mind on the support that he needs to give those who are missing out. 

There are many of them: people who have been self-employed for less than two years; directors of very small limited companies, such as taxi drivers; people who have been on maternity leave. They have been excluded from support. It is an outrage that those people have been left to get into deeper and deeper debt because the Government have yet to devise a mechanism for supporting them. They must do so now. We need those people to build our economy back once we are out of this situation. To let them flounder in poverty now is outrageous and unacceptable.

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LEEDS

An armed police car has crashed following reports of a shooting in Leeds.

Police were called to reports of the shooting in Thorpe Road, in the Middleton area of the city, this evening.

Neighbours said a man was shot at around 8pm. He was quickly rushed to hospital in an ambulance and a police scene was set up.

One Thorpe Road resident said crime scene investigators cordoned off the road and looked to be, "trying to find the gun with torches."

Meanwhile, an armed police car was in a collision with a taxi on Leeds ring road.

The dark coloured unmarked BMW X5 crashed into the taxi at the junction with Bodmin Road in Middleton, around one mile from the scene of the shooting. A police scene is in place.

https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/leeds-news/armed-police-car-crashes-leeds-19599922

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GLASGOW

A private hire taxi driver who was caught with almost £300,000 of cocaine hidden in his car was yesterday jailed for three years.

Gordon Mitchell, 37, was snared near Gorbals Leisure Centre in Glasgow on December 2, 2019.

Police had spotted him doing three-point turns in his Volkswagen Passat and stopped him.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that Mitchell was couriering the drug in order to pay off part of a gambling debt.

Prosecutor Lindsey Dalziel said the car was searched and two mobile phones were found – one which appeared encrypted.

Miss Dalziel added: “A trained dog handler was contacted. The dog then gave a strong indication at the centre console of the car.”

The compartment was opened and a plastic bag was found inside which contained a taped package of 996g of cocaine with a purity of 73 per cent.

Officers searched Mitchell’s home in the city’s Shettleston and found £1020 in cash as well as three more mobile phones.

The court was told the cocaine had a potential value of £290,906.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-cab-driver-gambling-debt-23300976

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Northern Ireland

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon has pledged an additional £1,500 payment each for taxi drivers as result of Covid-19 linked restrictions.

Ms Mallon revealed details of the plan during a meeting with cab drivers yesterday.

Those involved with the industry say they have been put financial under-pressure as a result of Covid-19 restrictions.

There had been criticism of criteria for a £1,500 one-off payment announced in November, which required those applying to have an unbroken insurance record from March until September.

Some had cancelled their policies in a bid to save cash.

Last week Ms Mallon said she would seek further powers to for a second financial assistance scheme for drivers.

Taxi drivers say that during a meeting yesterday the minister confirmed that an additional payment of £1,500 will now be made to cover the period from September 2020 to March 2021.

Taxi driver Pat Meighan, said: “The Minister has acknowledged the plight of the taxi industry in confirming that she now proposes on bringing forward a second scheme."

Solicitor Darragh Mackin, of Phoenix Law, represents NI Taxi Drivers and made representations to the minister during yesterday's meeting.

“Today's development comes as a massive relief to the entire taxi industry who have collectively come under financial hardship due to the ongoing covid pandemic," he said.

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2021/01/12/news/pledge-to-pay-taxi-drivers-and-1-500-covid-payment-2183955/

Local Authorities to roll out Testing for those who cannot work from Home. Will Taxi Driver's be featured ?

 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/asymptomatic-testing-to-be-rolled-out-across-the-country-starting-this-week

 

BURY

A taxi driver who should have been self-isolating but instead went to work less than two days after returning from Pakistan has had his licence revoked.

The driver, who operated in the Bury area, completed 12 taxi rides in less than six hours before lying to a licensing officer about his work.

The father-of-five, who lives in Bolton, was told he had ‘put the public at risk’ by working so soon after flying back into the country.

He was later visited by police and issued with a fixed penalty notice for breaking coronavirus regulations.

Bury Council’s licensing and safety panel heard that on October 16, a complaint was made to the deputy licensing officer that the driver had returned from Pakistan on October 13.

The driver had returned to work as a private hire driver when he should be self-isolating for 14 days due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

A report to the panel, said: “The officer phoned and asked him whether he was working, he replied ‘no’.

“She asked if he was aware that he should be self-isolating for 14 days, he replied that he was aware.

“The officer then contacted this client’s operator, who confirmed that the driver had worked on October 15 and provided booking records to show that he completed 12 jobs between 5pm and 10.30pm.

“She called again and asked him why he had just lied when asked whether he had been working.

“He replied that he had a negative test so he could go back to work.

“The officer advised him that a negative test made no difference to the fact that he must be self-isolating and that as well as obstructing an officer he had also put members of the public at risk.”

After a report was made to the police, an officer from GMP Bolton’s Covid unit informed the driver that he would be served with a fixed penalty.

The driver stated at the licensing meeting that it was a misunderstanding on his part.

When he told the licensing officer he was not working, he thought she had meant at that point in time therefore he had answered no.

He also explained that he was a father to five children, one of which was disabled and his children and wife relied on him to provide for them and pay the mortgage.

The driver stated he had checked when he was in Pakistan and had been told he would need a test which he had done.

The result came back negative. He said he wasn’t aware he also had to self-isolate upon his return.

The panel suspended the taxi driver, who is not named in public documents, for a period of six months with immediate effect.

The panel found that he ‘was not a fit and proper person to hold a licence in Bury’ and that he ‘did not realise the seriousness of the public health implications relating to him returning to work straight after his return from abroad’.

Mohammad Sajjad is secretary of Bury’s private hire drivers’ association.

He said: “We were made aware of this case by the police and licensing.

“The driver was operating in Bury but came from Bolton.

“As soon as we got this information we shared it with our members and reminded them of the need to know the rules and stick to the guidelines.”

 https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/bolton-bury-council-covid-breach-19561531

 Birmingham's biggest taxi firm is investigating claims one of its drivers was caught on camera dumping mattresses in a city street.

The 'disgraceful' footage above captures what appears to be an A2B taxi pulling up on Brockhurst Road, Hodge Hill before a driver dump items on the roadside.

The driver of the car, with the firm's label on its side, is first seen parking up on the quiet street and opening up the boot.

It then shows him dragging a mattress from the back of the car before leaving it on the pavement, propped against a fence.

Another mattress is then pulled from the back of the car and flytipped. Ironically, it appears the female passenger is seen picking up a small piece of rubbish that has rolled out of the car and into the road.

She is filmed walking over to the rubbish bin on the street to discard the litter, despite passing the two large mattresses dumped on the side.

The footage was filmed between 6.55pm - 7.05pm on Tuesday, January 5.

Councillor Majid Mahmood, for Hodge Hill, publicly shamed the individual on Twitter as he branded the act 'disgraceful'.

After the CCTV sparked fury with residents on social media, he wrote: "This is disgraceful, and I will be writing to @A2BRadioCars to see if they can identity the individual who has dumped the two mattresses on Brockhurst Road.

"I will be contacting @BhamCityCouncil waste enforcement to take robust action against the individual(s)."

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/a2b-taxi-probe-cctv-appearing-19580027

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A Paris taxi driver is being investigated after massively overcharging a pair of tourists for a cab ride from the airport to their hotel.

The unnamed driver charged the visitors €230 for the 40-minute drive from Charles de Gaulle airport to the 10th arrondissement, a journey that has a flat rate of €53.

Unlike rogue operators who usually run such a scam, the driver in question provided the tourists from Hong Kong with an official receipt for the fare on 1 January.

They duly reported the driver to French taxi association Les Nouveaux Taxis Parisiens (LNTP).

“This is a real taxi, it's one of ours,” LNTP President Jean Barreira told French newspaper Le Figaro. “This gentleman has cast shame on our profession.”

Barreira confirmed that LNTP had reported the driver to police, who are now investigating the incident. 

It’s not the first time a Parisian taxi driver has charged tourists through the nose.

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/france-taxi-driver-charge-scam-b1783727.html

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In crisis-hit Venezuela, even soldiers are struggling to make ends meet on meager salaries rendered practically worthless by the highest inflation in the world and have taken to moonlighting -- as taxi drivers.

Some have taken to sneaking out of their barracks to pick up customers needing a lift -- a job that can earn them 60 times their monthly salary with just one trip.

"I'm a father and given the situation in the country, my salary is worth nothing," a 39-year-old sergeant told AFP under the condition of anonymity.

"I do my taxi journeys and I earn much more than in my other job -- that's why I do it," he added.

The sergeant can earn more than $500 for driving passengers from San Cristobal on the border with Colombia to the capital Caracas, some 800 kilometers (500 miles) to the northeast.

His monthly wage as a soldier -- nine million bolivars -- is worth just eight dollars.

However, regular taxi drivers are furious and say members of the armed forces have an unfair advantage: their uniform.

"They don't get stopped at police checkpoints" where drivers are often asked for a bribe, and "they don't have problems getting fuel," complained Eusebio Correa, a 57-year-old career taxi driver.

"The military that should be providing security are now chauffeurs in uniform."

Sourcing fuel for vehicles is a major issue in Venezuela, but especially in remote Tachira state and its capital San Cristobal.

Fuel shortages have led to people waiting at gas stations for days at a time to fill their tanks, or alternatively turning to the black market, where prices are considerably higher.

That added cost has subsequently pushed up the price of taxi rides.

But since the military controls gas stations, soldiers don't face the same restrictions the general population does.

"This uniform that I wear represents respect. With the uniform, I can come and go anywhere," admitted the sergeant.

The salaries of the rank and file may have plummeted alongside everyone else's earnings in a country that has been in recession for seven years, but the military as an institution remains powerful.

It is the main power propping up the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

The military also controls oil, mining and food distribution companies, as well as customs and several key ministries.

Venezuela's opposition and some rights organizations claim many top military officials have gotten rich through corruption.

The taxi-driving sergeant said he started "escaping" his barracks to moonlight once the country was put under a coronavirus lockdown.

"For the release permits, sometimes I ask for medical leave. You even make up stuff to your own colleagues. I know many who do this job, right up to our superiors," said the sergeant.

Under the lockdown, regular comings and goings were restricted -- and only authorized via passes issued by the military.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210108-venezuela-s-new-taxi-drivers-moonlighting-soldiers

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BOLTON 

A MAN who did not have enough cash to buy the drugs he wanted, smashed a taxi window, injuring a woman and repeatedly punched the car's driver.

David Hunt and his friend Chloe Johnson had called a taxi from Metro cars to take them from his Winster Close, Breightmet home to Back Horsa Street in Tonge Moor, where 36-year-old Hunt planned to buy drugs in the early hours of August 26 last year.

But Bolton Crown Court heard how he became frustrated and an argument broke out with Miss Johnson, who remained in the taxi, after he visited two properties and came back empty handed.

Roger Brown, prosecuting, said the taxi driver, Saqab Khan was concerned that he had been directed to park in a dark back street.

"The defendant had an argument with Miss Johnson," said Mr Brown,

"He then, for no apparent reason opened the driver's door and punched Mr Khan several times to the head. The consequences of that are bruising."

Hunt claimed that, out of frustration, he then punched the taxi window, smashing it and injuring Miss Johnson.

"The defendant accepts he caused injury to Miss Johnson. This was far from his intention but he appreciates his actions were reckless," said Mr Brown.

Mr Khan drove to the Metro car's base just a few yards away and paramedics were called but Miss Johnson refused treatment for her bruised and swollen face

Hunt was arrested and pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm, assault and criminal damage.

Betsy Hindle, defending, said Hunt "deeply regrets" his behaviour and added that his life had spiralled downwards after he lost his job as an electrician at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Drugs, in recent times, have become an unhealthy and detrimental habit of the defendant," said Miss Hindle.

"Sadly, on this occasion, Mr Hunt allowed this recent addiction of his to get the better of him and he resorted to unacceptable behaviour.

"This is simply at the thought and frustration of not being able to obtain drugs.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/18991664.thug-lashed-taxi-driver-drug-buying-failure/

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Taxi drivers in Burton have pleaded with council bosses to extend their licences on ageing vehicles as they have seen trade all but wiped out during the coronavirus pandemic.

Burton cabbies have united to ask East Staffordshire Borough Council to extend vehicle licences due to the downturn in trade, which has left many facing looking for other jobs or having to work exceptionally long hours on very low income, they say.

The council's licencing committee is now considering their concerns, raised in a letter signed by 19 taxi firms across East Staffordshire, now known as the Burton Taxi Trade after forming an alliance.

Currently private hire vehicles must be replaced when they reach seven years old and hackey carriage vehicles at 10 years old, but the alliance hopes to extend this by a year to avoid drivers having to replace their cars during the current climate.

From December 2020 to December 2021, a total 90 private hire vehicles and 26 hackney carriage vehicles would need to be replaced under the current licence.

The letter said: "The taxi trade at present is still suffering very badly since we last wrote to you and like many other businesses due to covid 19 and the lockdowns and restrictions imposed.

"Drivers are leaving the trade and those working are having to work for exceptionally long hours for exceptionally low income.

"Considering what the situations are at present with the taxi trade, the trade is asking for the council to consider an extension to the September vehicle expiry to allow at least a further year for vehicles expiring due to the seven-year age rule.

https://www.staffordshire-live.co.uk/news/taxi-drivers-want-extension-ditching-4856387

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Caernarfon Crown Court

A taxi driver tried to escape a driving ban by getting a friend to take his penalty points for speeding.

But the boss of his firm reported the incident and the pair were found out.

Private hire driver Craig Stuart Jones and his accomplice Paul Nathan Jones had been found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice after a trial.

Today they appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court to be jailed for five months and three months respectively.

The judge, Her Honour Judge Nicola Jones, told the men: "This offence undermines the very foundation of the justice system in England and Wales. A deterrent sentence is necessary."

The court heard Craig Jones has contributed to his community, partly as a Covid-19 volunteer and as a Staff Sergeant Instructor in the Army Cadet Force, while Paul Jones is a carer.

But the judge insisted: "The offence is so serious only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate."

Prosecutor Nicholas Williams told the court Craig Jones was caught speeding on the A55 by a speed camera on January 23, 2018.

He said he was caught again on the same road by the same camera the following day.

The prosecutor said Craig Jones already had points on his licence so he knew he would be disqualified from driving if caught due to the totting up of his points.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/anglesey-taxi-driver-covid-volunteer-19574551

 BIRMINGHAM

Trams were halted in Birmingham city centre after a taxi got stuck on the tracks this morning.

The black cab was pictured wedged between the lines on the outskirts of Snow Hill Station at 8am on Saturday (January 2).

It is not known how the taxi got into the position but services were delayed from St Paul's and the Library for nearly three hours while workers removed the vehicle.

The cab was removed and services restored at around 10.45am.

 www.birminghammail.co.uk

NORTH TYNESIDE 

A Taxi company is offering free transport to passengers aged 80-plus attending Covid-19 vaccine appointments.

Budget Taxis, which operates in Newcastle and North Tyneside, is making the scheme available from Monday for use by the over-80s who have already received vaccine appointments.

They must quote “free taxi” when booking, which must be made 24-hours in advance of the vaccination appointment, subject to availability.

There is also a contactless app, which allows passengers to book, track and pay for the taxi, all by your phone, reducing the need for cash contact.

Budget Taxi owner, Mohammed Suleman, said: “It’s a priority to everyone that the elderly receive their vaccines, so we want to make sure they’re getting there in the safest way possible.

“We will make sure you arrive safely, for free.”

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/18980476.free-taxi-offer-over-80s-vaccine-appointments/

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Almost half of Northern Ireland's taxi drivers failed to apply for an emergency support grant set up by Stormont.

Payments of £1,500 were offered to drivers to help with their overheads following a massive drop in businesses during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

More than 9,000 taxi drivers were eligible to apply but about 5,000 applications were received.

Details were revealed at a Department of Infrastructure meeting on Wednesday.

The scrutiny committee heard from five taxi operators who are now seeking financial help for those businesses which run cabs.

Stephen Anton, from Fonacab, said there were a number of reasons why more taxi drivers did not apply for the grant.

Many had no access to computers to process the applications, he said, while others were unaware of the financial support scheme, which was open for a fortnight in November.

He said many taxi drivers had not returned to work and, as a result, operators have been forced out of business.

'Coffers now empty'

Eamon O'Donnell, from North West Taxi Proprietors, said 30% of their drivers had quit and will be hard to replace in the current economic climate.

Taxi operators provided an essential service to health workers and other key staff during the lockdowns, he said.

They were also on hand when families had to be moved into emergency accommodation overnight by statutory agencies.

In many cases, "coffers are now empty" and they need a meaningful support scheme to save firms from closure, Mr O'Donnell said.

On 29 October, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said a £14m package would go directly to taxi drivers.

She confirmed it would be a one-off cash payment of £1,500 to each taxi driver.

Some drivers have criticised this amount, describing it as "a go-away payment".

They said this would not go far enough to cover lost earnings during the Covid-19 pandemic.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55247480

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LONDON (ALLEGEDLY)

TWO Doors Down star Doon Mackichan revealed she split her head open in a black cab when the driver slammed on the brakes.

Doon, 58, was left with a scar above her eyebrow as she was hurled against the taxi’s central divide and smashed her face on the card machine.

The actress — who plays boozy neighbour Cathy in the BBC comedy — also suffered damaged ribs when the cabbie “hit traffic lights at speed” before halting.

Doon said: “I recently had a car accident. 

Everybody please wear seat-belts in the back of black cabs, because I was in the back doing my first job in five months, and I stupidly didn’t have mine on.

“I smashed into the card machine and partition. I’m very lucky to only have a scar above my eyebrow but my ribs are in agony.”

It’s understood the accident happened in London a few weeks ago.

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/tvands ... axi-smash/

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COLCHESTER

Concerns have been raised an invasion of Tier 4 residents visiting north Essex has pushed up the coronavirus infection rates.

The number of cases across Colchester and Tendring districts has doubled in the past week.

It comes as Colchester officials have called on residents living in Tier 3 and 4 hotspots to stay away.

Mike Lilley, Colchester Council’s public safety boss, has written to the town’s MP Will Quince to ask if police can be given extra powers to stop outsiders coming in.

Mr Lilley said: “I’ve had people asking me about why people from Tier 4 areas are allowed to come into Colchester to visit.

“Saturday night there were sightings of taxis from Braintree and Chelmsford, dropping people off in the town.

“I have asked the police if they have any plans to stop people on the A12 but they say no, they only have patrols planned in the town and outer areas.

“It’s a no win situation as shops need the business but it could lead to Colchester going into Tier 4 because of the influx of people.

“The police say it’s not in the latest guidelines but it is leaving Colchester open to infection spreading.”

Can you look at reviewing the guidelines and take action against the spread please?”

Government guidelines say residents in Tier 4 areas should not visit areas in Tier 2 like Colchester, however, there is no law in place to stop them.

One taxi driver contacted the Gazette to say drivers were concerned after being told not to question the reasons behind people’s fares.

He said: “I have been told ‘it’s not our problem, as long as they are paying the fare’. Surely that’s wrong?

“A lot of drivers aren’t happy about this.”

But Charlie Isbell, chairman of the Colchester Taxi and Hackney Carriage Association, said it wasn’t down to drivers to police people’s actions.

“Taxi drivers are only doing their job. They are not going to question a person getting into the car,” he said.

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/18962805.tier-4-invasion-adding-virus-crisis/