The silver Hackney Cab was found parked outside the 'Gherkin' on St Mary Axe in the City of London at about seven o'clock this morning.
A cordon was erected during the alert, with a number of roads in the heart of the City closed at the beginning of rush hour.
Witnesses said a small controlled explosion took place in the taxi, and it has been reported the explosion smashed the windows of the nearby Slug and Lettuce pub.
City of London Police confirmed officers were called at about 7am, with the taxi "removed" by the force and the cordon lifted after about an hour.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/525658/Bomb-scare-near-Gherkin?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+daily-express-uk-news+%28Daily+Express+%3A%3A+UK+Feed%29
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TEESIDE
A man who lied about his identity was recognised by the taxi driver he crashed into - after ordering a cab to his house.
Corey Alison had driven into the back of a taxi on Low Grange Avenue, in Billingham, on August 5, 2013.
The 18-year-old - who has 16 convictions for 31 offences, including driving matters, as a youth - gave false details to the taxi driver, and drove away from the scene in a green Peugeot 307.
When the taxi driver went to the address he was given, he realised he had been duped.
But more than six months later, prosecutor Jenny Haigh told Teesside Crown Court today, Alison ordered a taxi and the same driver turned up.
The cabbie recognised Alison and notified police.
An identity parade was carried out on April 25 this year, and Alison, of Norton Road, Stockton, was arrested.
Mitigating for Alison, who had pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by giving false details after an accident, Duncan McReddie said: “He has a very regrettable record, but what I would say is that, although it sounds like a cliche, he has turned a corner.
“A report from the housing association where he and his partner are looking for a property has used the word 'excellent'.
"He has matured since the incident and now has steady employment.
"For a man of his background, that his significant.”
Judge Michael Taylor sentenced Alison to four months in prison, suspended for 18 months.
“This clearly passes the limit for a custodial sentence, and the courts take attempts to pervert the course of justice very seriously," he said.
“But as I have heard, you have found employment and it is the first time you have held down a job.
"For this reason, I can suspend your sentence.”
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/driver-gave-false-details-after-7972534?
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Traffic in Preston city centre has ground to a halt because of a protest by taxi drivers.
The spontaneous protest, blocking Fishergate, is thought to have begun after a cabbie was ticketed for illegal parking.
It comes hours after county council bosses celebrated the completion of the £3.4m Fishergate Central Gateway Project with lowered curbs and wider footpaths - and vowed to get tough on motorists flouting pakring rules.
Mark Selley of the Preston Hackney Carriage Association, said taxi drivers were increasingly frustrated about the lack of spaces available to them.
He said: “There are 120 licences for taxis and there’s not enough spaces for them now that work is being carried out on the front of the railway station and the rank has closed in Charnley Street.
“I think the railway companies and the County Council have an obligation to make sure there’s enough spaces to cater for everyone who has a license, so people aren’t having to park illegally.
“I think what has happened today is that a driver has been ticketed by the station, and they believe the warden has ignored other illegally parked members of the public to target him.”
http://www.lep.co.uk/news/local/taxi-drivers-protest-causes-city-centre-gridlock-1-6907874
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