Manchester.

Update ** 

For those who missed today's broadcast.

http://chirb.it/vkdawq

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Toady at around 7.40 a.m. Radio Manchester 95.1, will discuss documents I have passed to them over the last 3 days.

These documents PROVE that some of Manchester's Taxi and Private Hire fee's are unlawful.

We are not talking 'peanuts', estimates suggest we are talking over £4 million.

Tune in, you do not want to miss this.
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Taxi attacker left traces of blood at Leeds assault scene - Yorkshire Evening Post

A ROBBER was caught after he left traces of his blood at the scene during a violent knife-point struggle with a taxi driver.

Roger Smith, 44, has been jailed for two years and eight months after a court heard how he targeted the driver near to his home in Leeds.

Leeds Crown Court heard Smith was picked up by the driver, who works for Amber Cars, on Sandhurst Place, Beeston, at 5.30am on September 2 last year.

Smith got into the taxi and asked to be driven to where he lived on Dulverton Grove, Cottingley.

The destination was around two miles away, the court was told.

Richard Smith, prosecuting, said the driver feared Smith was about to run off without paying when he zipped his jacket up as they neared the destination.

The taxi driver drove to some nearby shops so they would be captured on CCTV footage.

Smith then became aggressive and pulled out a pen knife which he held to the driver’s face.

The prosecutor said the driver initially thought Smith was playing a joke on him until he was punched twice in the face.

The two men then struggled before Smith managed to get out of the vehicle and run off.

Smith was arrested after blood was found in the taxi and linked him to the offence.

He initially denied the offence and claimed he must have left the blood behind when he sneezed.

He later pleaded guilty to robbery.

The court heard Smith has previous convictions for violence dating back to 1992.

The court was told Smith had mental health problems and much of his offending was linked to crack cocaine abuse.

The court was also told Smith was sorry for what he had done and wanted to apologise to the victim for his actions.


Jailing Smith, recorder Sophie Drake said: “This was a pre planned offence against a vulnerable member of the public – a taxi driver at night performing a public service – and that aggravates the offence.”
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Ellesmere Port De-Limit

The move to life restrictions on the number of cabs operating in Ellesmere Port and Neston this summer, hotly opposed by the trade but welcomed by the public, follows consultations by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

At present the town has 51 hackneys which cost £36,000 each new.

Councillors heard that on an interim basis there are three hackney carriage zones across the new borough which correspond to the former district councils - Ellesmere Port and Neston, Chester and Vale Royal. 

There are no restrictions on the number of hackney licences in both the Chester and Vale Royal zones.

In Ellesmere Port and Neston, all 51 licences are currently issued.

Two options were on the table, to continue to restrict the number of licences, subject to the outcome of an unmet demand survey or to lift the restriction.

During the consultation 60% of the public wanted to remove restrictions and 65% of the trade wanted to keep them.

A further consultation with the trade found 70% of drivers in favour of retaining a restriction with 13%  backing the removal of any limit on the number of licences issued.

More recently a citizens panel survey resulted in 37% of respondents against continuing the restrictions and 36% in favour of maintaining them.

Locally the trade believes there are ‘far to many taxis in Chester’ and Ellesmere Port should not suffer the same.

There is no need to deregulate and it has not worked in Chester with problems of over ranking - too many cabs on the road for the number of rank spaces available.

The current number of 51 licences is said to ‘work well’ and the public do not have to wait.

It is argued there is no demand for more hackneys in Ellesmere Port and there are already too many hackneys and private hire vehicles.

More vehicles cause more emissions and traffic problems it is pointed out.

Drivers say they would be working longer for the same reward and only just make a living now.

And some areas which deregulated are returning to limits again.

Comments in favour of lifting the restrictions include a counter claim that people are having to wait too long for hackneys.

It is also suggested that Ellesmere Port is part of the council and if the other two zones are not restricted neither should Ellesmere Port.

The view of the Department for Transport that hackney numbers ‘tend to find their own levels’ has been raised.

Asked for the special circumstances which would justify maintaining the restriction in Ellesmere Port and Neston, it was suggested that without a proper survey any increase in vehicles would adversely affect the people in the trade.

The town was seeing more and more businesses shutting down resulting in fewer customers and not enough work available.

The change would ‘devastate’ existing owners and drivers and there could not be a worse time to do it.

The move would be detrimental to safety and would put drivers out of work.

“It has not worked in Chester, look at the chaos it has caused there,” was one comment.

Ellesmere Port was not a city and had no tourism. The town was a small place where people knew the drivers and trusted them.

“Why change something that works?” was one comment.

Councillors were told licensing officers had recommended the removal of restrictions for hackney licences in the Ellesmere Port and Neston zone. 

Reasons given were that guidance from the Department of Transport did not recommend restriction and local authorities should be able to demonstrate that this would be in the public interest.

The two other zones in the borough were currently deregulated and to derestrict in the Ellesmere Port zone would help in the ‘harmonisation’ of the three zones.

There was no strong public support to retain restrictions, it was said, although the trade strongly supported their being maintained.

In answer to councillors’ questions, officers explained that if there was an increase in hackney licences there would usually be a decrease in private hire. 

Potential drivers would need to invest in a vehicle that was up to three and a half years old and complete the Cheshire West and Chester driver qualification.

There was no waiting list and it would be difficult to predict potential demand.

A vote to continue the restrictions was defeated and one to lift the limit was approved.


It will come into force on July 1.
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Huyton Merseyside

A taxi driver received knife wounds after being threatened by a passenger who demanded he hand over cash.

The 41-year-old had collected a man in his mid to late 20s from Asda in Huyton Lane, Huyton shortly before 7pm on Friday.

The passenger asked the driver to stop the cab in Woolfall Heath Avenue and when he did, he produced a knife and demanded money.

The driver refused and a brief struggle ensued, during which the victim suffered a deep cut to his hand and a cut to the back of his head. 
The offender fled the taxi empty-handed and ran off in the direction of Primrose Drive.

Detective Inspector Lol Forrest said: "This was a deeply unpleasant incident in which a local man has been injured during an attempted robbery by a passenger in his cab.

"The victim was simply going about his business, trying to earn a living when he has been targeted by someone trying to steal his takings.

"We take incidents like this extremely seriously and extensive enquiries are now underway to identify and arrest the offender.

"Detectives are trawling through extensive CCTV from the area and I would appeal for anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward." 
The offender is described as white, around 6ft tall and of stocky build.

He had short dark hair, was wearing a black jacket and spoke with a Liverpool accent.


The taxi driver was taken by ambulance to Whiston hospital for treatment but he has since been discharged.

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Man dies after being hit by taxi in Stafford

A 34-year-old pedestrian was killed in an accident with a taxi in Staffordshire early today.
 
The man was walking along the A518 at Billington Bank between Stafford and Haughton when he was hit by the white Peugeot MPV  at around 1.10am.

The victim, who comes from a European country, was certified dead at the scene.

Police are investigating the circumstances but early indications are that it was a tragic accident.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “Crews were called to reports of a car and a pedestrian that had been in collision.


“On arrival at the scene crews found the pedestrian on the verge of the carriageway. The man was immediately assessed but unfortunately it quickly became apparent that nothing could be done to save the man and he was confirmed deceased at the scene.”

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Dublin

FIVE sisters from a family-of-nine who were involved in a car accident were yesterday awarded damages for personal injuries totalling €37,500 in the Circuit Civil Court.

Barrister Tony McKeown told the court that Ciara (15), Chloe (11), Katelyn (7), Ella (6), and three-year-old Robin Croly had been travelling in the seven-seater family car on February 11 last year when it was rear-ended by a taxi.

Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groarke heard that the children, who all live at Myra Manor, Malahide Road, Co Dublin, had been wearing seatbelts.

Mr McKeown said they had suffered whiplash injuries which had resolved within a few months.

The five sisters, through their mother Hilda Croly, sued taxi driver Kieran Dowling who contested the case. Dowling, of Brabazon Green, Bettystown, Co Dublin, claimed the Croly's Mercedes Viano had stopped suddenly on the road and he had "glanced off" their car.

He denied the Viano bumper had been hanging off or that he had been speeding.

Judge Groarke, awarding each sister €7,500, said he was satisfied they had suffered injuries, although minor, in the collision near Clarehall Shopping Centre, Malahide Road, Dublin.

The court was told a sixth sister, Jessica (18) had also been injured in the accident but that her case would be dealt with separately.