A hunt is underway for a knife-wielding would-be robber who threatened two taxi drivers and a woman.
ChronicleLive reports that police probing the spate of terrifying incidents, which happened in Whitley Bay, have released images of a man they would like to trace.
Shortly after midnight on Friday 25 August, officers received a report that a man had pulled out a knife and threatened a woman while she was on a platform at Whitley Bay Metro Station.
Then just 20 minutes later it was reported that a cabbie, who was in his car outside Dixy Chicken on Whitley Road, was also threatened by a man with a knife who demanded he hand over all his money.
The cabbie was able to get away from the knifeman. A third incident happened outside the Fire Station pub on Whitley Road at around 1.50am when another taxi driver was targeted.
He reported that a man had got into his car, pulled out a knife and demanded money. The driver refused and the knifeman ran off.
Police say they believe all three incidents are linked and officers and have now released an image of a man they want to speak to.
The spokesman said the man pictured was “in the area at the time the offences were reported to have taken place” and officers believed “he may be able to assist them” with their inquiries.
Anyone who knows who the man is is asked to call Northumbria Police on 101, quoting crime reference numbers 106395F/23, 106396D/23 or 106372T/23.
Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/hunt-knife-wielding-robber-after-27603030
Lancashire Road Police put this tweet out over the Bank Holiday weekend.
“Following a report that this vehicle was leaving blackpool vand carrying troo many people, it was stopped on the M55.
"We found two adults and four children under four years old in the rear and a ten year old child in the front.
"The driver didn’t see anything wrong with this but we did.
"Driver reported.”
People in the Lewes District are waiting for up to an hour for a traditional cab, as taxi companies continue to see driver numbers dwindle.
The Sussex Express reports that earlier this month, Lewes District Council revealed that 44 per cent of taxi users said they had waited more than an hour for a cab.
Nicola Taylor, a resident in Seaford, told SussexWorld that she is regularly left waiting for more than one hour to get a ride home from work or social events.
She said: "I worked a night shift and stayed on until 3pm the following day. I then went round my friend's house and had a drink, so was not going to drive home. I tried to get a taxi at 6ish and nothing was available.
"I tried five different companies and it took an hour to get a reply. I’ve had a number of problems with this over the last couple of months. I went out on a Friday night a couple of weeks ago and there was no taxis available for an hour and a half.
"For people that require taxis because they can’t drive for health reasons, they are in real trouble. Some people are bound by taxis.
"In the event of someone that needs to get to a hospital, but can’t get hold of an ambulance, the only way they can get there is via taxi.
"People could be dying in their homes because of this. It’s having a major impact.”
Candy Wells, the owner of Beacon Taxis, claims that Lewes District Council's rules and regulations for traditional taxi drivers has led to mass numbers leaving firms and becoming private hire drivers for companies such as Uber.
Candy explained: “It’s so diabolical. My drivers are dwindling. I get abuse on a daily basis from the public because I cannot send them a taxi for one reason or another. I’m fed up saying no to them all the time.
“The Lewes District Council licensing officer opened the back door for all these drivers to get their private hire badge. We now have six or seven hundred private hire drivers, when before we only had a handful.
“All these drivers are now working out of Brighton and not helping us with the customers that we have.
“That’s the crux of the problem. They don’t have to pass any stringent test, like hackney drivers need to. You can just go with your divers licence, get your private hire badge and you can work anywhere in the country.
"The council are giving us so many rules and regulations that we need to follow that we never needed to before."
A spokesperson for the district council said it was proposing to make changes to its Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Guidance, following feedback from residents and those in the trade.
They added: “We urge people to read about the changes and take part in the consultation.”
To view the council’s consultation on taxi services click here: https://www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/LDCTaxiConsultation
A Leeds teenage drug dealer used an unsuspecting private hire driver to drive him about, until the worried cabbie took off with his drugs still in the car.
The Y.E.P. reports that the driver contacted his dispatch office for advice after Hashir Khan ordered him to drive around Beeston, but without giving him a destination.
When Khan made him stop for a third time and got out at a petrol station, the driver took off, but still had Khan’s cocaine.
The police were then called. On December 17 last year, Khan ordered the PHV to pick him up from Fulham Square in Beeston with an initial intention of going to White Rose shopping centre, Leeds Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Harry Crowson said Khan appeared from behind a tree and got into the passenger seat, with a second male getting into the back.
But rather than go to White Rose, the 18-year-old said he would guide the driver to their destination, first stopping behind a mosque on Dewsbury Road when the second man got out, and a third male wearing a balaclava dropped a bag through the window to Khan.
He then asked the driver to take him to the Family Shopper in Beeston when he got out and then got back in minutes later, then the Jet petrol garage where he got out again.
On advice of the taxi base, the driver then took off. The bag left behind contained 64 grammes of cocaine, and 900 grammes of a cutting agent.
However, Khan ordered another PHV and demanded to be taken to the base. He was quickly detained by police when he arrived.
Khan, from Beeston, Leeds, was disruptive, spitting in the back of the police van, in the station’s waiting area and in his cell. He then hit the cleaner with his trainer.
He later admitted dealing in cocaine, criminal damage and assault.
No mitigation was offered by his barrister after Judge Christopher Batty said due to Khan’s paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis, he would follow the medical recommendation to detain him in hospital, rather than prison, until further notice.
Judge Batty told Khan: “You’re not well but luckily you are improving. The medication and assistance you are getting in hospital is helping.
“At the moment your schizophrenia is such that you should be detained under section 37 of the Mental Health Act.”
Northumberland County Council is facing calls to address a long-standing complaint among taxi drivers in the north of the county.
According to ChronicleLive, under current rules, testing and inspection of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles must be completed by one of three Northumberland County Council MoT testing stations.
This has been the case since 2016, with council officers unsatisfied with the quality of testing carried out at some garages.
However, it means that taxi drivers in Berwick have to travel at least 30 miles south in order to reach a council testing centre that allows them to continue working and their vehicles to remain on the road.
Due to capacity issues across the county, drivers sometimes find themselves having to drive to the other test centres in Stakeford - 54 miles away - and even Hexham, which is more than 80 miles away.
Speaking at a meeting of the council's licensing and regulatory committee on Wednesday 23 August, Cllr Catherine Seymour, who represents the Berwick North ward, led the call for a testing centre in her town.
She said: "We have been asking for a long time if we can have a testing station at the top of England. Some have to drive a long way, some can't get in Alnwick and have to go all the way to Hexham.
"Can that be looked at as a high priority?"
Cllr Alan Sharp said the issue had been a problem for at least the last 15 years he has served on the committee.
Cllr Sharp said: "There are issues in the north which we need to address. I'm of the opinion that we should try to work with the garages as well as we can to ensure the continuation of taxi businesses in Northumberland.
"There is a case at the moment where somebody asked for an MoT test a week ago and hasn't heard back. Someone else has had their test expire so they haven't got a running vehicle.
"This has always been an issue since I became a councillor all those years ago. We need to look into this matter further. We have had this issue here since I was on this committee, and I've been on it for 15 years.
"We need to look to see if there is a garage we can use in Berwick."
Cllr Alex Wallace agreed, adding: "I absolutely support that. One of the aims of this council is to tackle inequalities - it can't be equal if somebody in Berwick has to travel to Alnwick or Stakeford.
"It is not equal, it is unequal."
Members were discussing a report which sought to approve six as-yet unidentified garages - two in the west, two in the north and two in the south east of the county - to carry out the relevant tests in circumstances where the current garages cannot fulfil demand.
The report's recommendations were unanimously approved by the committee.
A local councillor has sparked a debate on passenger safety after claiming that using locally licensed taxis is safer than hailing an Uber.
A taxi driver was attacked and subjected to racist abuse after two brothers refused to pay him up front.
Christopher Hilling, 64, admitted to engaging a child in sexual activity at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday 8 August.
Abdigani Ebrahim, 38, of Grangetown, admitted charges of affray and criminal damage following the incident in Northcote Street, Roath, last July.
The crackdown targeted drivers operating across council boundaries to ensure public safety and compliance with regulations.
Lucio Valentino relies on his six-year-old Border Collie, Pixel, to help manage his mental health conditions, including depression and personality disorders.
Taxi drivers across the Fylde Coast are set to receive a briefing note aimed at clearing up confusion over out-of-area private hire vehicles.
Police are appealing to find a taxi driver who may have "vital clues" about the murder of Ryan Passey seven years ago since he was fatally stabbed in a Stourbridge nightclub.
A joint operation by Hull City Council, Wolverhampton Council, and Humberside Police has uncovered a number of safety issues with taxis operating in the city.
French taxi drivers are calling for government compensation after suffering significant revenue losses during the Paris Olympics.
Coventry city centre has introduced a new taxi marshal service aimed at improving safety and efficiency for late-night revellers.
A court heard harrowing details of the moment a drink-driving uninsured motorist killed three people in a 90mph crash.
The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans was amongst the thousands who enjoyed the Battle Proms at Highclere Castle on 3 August.
Swindon residents could be facing a hike in taxi fares from October after councillors gave the green light to a £1 increase in the standard fare minimum charge.
Ricky Harold, a 20-year veteran of the town’s taxi trade, was parked in a lay-by when his vehicle was struck from behind by a black Audi A2.
Chinese automotive giant Geely has deepened its commitment to the UK electric vehicle market with a £120m cash injection into London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC).
North Tyneside Council is facing a backlash over plans to increase taxi fares by 6.3%.
Nazim Asmal preyed on his victims after nights out in Preston and Darwen, driving them to secluded spots before carrying out horrific sexual assaults.
Newcastle is set to see a surge in pink taxis driven by women as part of a new initiative aimed at improving passenger safety.
An unlicensed taxi driver who picked up two vulnerable women in Aberdare has been ordered to pay nearly £1,500 in fines and costs.