Scotland's crisis-hit super-hospital is ferrying linen around in private hire cars — sparking infection control fears.
A worker was snapped loading sheets in flimsy bags into a GlasGo PHV.
A whistleblower took the pics at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital last weekend.
The Scottish Sun understands health workers have expressed concern over contamination on the three-mile drive to a washing facility.
The source said: “The bags were just filled up and chucked in the cage to be thrown in the back of a taxi by the driver.
“It’s a waste of cash but there are massive infection control issues with chucking linen that could be used by patients with vulnerable immune systems.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP described the use of private hire cabs for linen as "worrying" and a sign of increased financial pressures that health boards face.
He said: “It goes without saying that health boards should be doing all they can to prevent germs and protect cancer and immune-compromised patients, so it is worrying that staff are using taxis to transport hospital laundry which puts people at risk and increases the chances of infection.
“I worry that health boards are resorting to these measures because they are coming under increasing financial pressures.
“I think it’s important for the health board to explain why they are using taxis instead of specialist vehicles and for the government to ensure they are doing everything they can to support health boards.”
Infection control at the hospital has been under scrutiny since the death of Milly Main, ten in August 2017 and of two patients from a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings in 2019.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde insisted linen was transferred using its vehicles unless in “exceptional circumstances”.
A spokesman said: “In such instances, which are extremely rare, a taxi may be authorised.
“For clarity, taxis should never be used for transportation of used linen.”
Source: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/12461665/queen-elizabeth-hospital-glasgow-taxi-sheets/
A woman reversed her car, seemingly deliberately, into the front of a parked taxi, narrowly missing its driver who was standing on the pavement.
The Western Telegraph reports that Charlotte Finley came out of a shop on North Road in Cardigan at 10.30pm on June 4 last year.
CCTV footage taken from outside the shop shows her reversing twice into the front of a taxi parked on the road behind her vehicle.
The owner of the taxi, who walked down the road on foot, can then be seen remonstrating with Finley through the open door of her car.
She then reversed a third time at speed and seemingly deliberately into the front of the taxi, narrowly missing the taxi driver with the open door of her vehicle, before driving off.
She caused £500 worth of damage to the taxi.
The court heard that the taxi driver had parked near to his home and was walking towards his vehicle when he saw it shunted back twice.
When he confronted Finley she said "you are not in the taxi rank" before forcefully reversing into his vehicle, forcing him to move out of the way to avoid being hit by her door.
Finley, 37, of St Dogmaels, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and criminal damage at the earliest opportunity and was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on Wednesday 10 April.
The court heard that Finley had ten previous convictions, one for criminal damage as a juvenile and two drink-driving offences in 2007 and 2011.
“When the owner [of the taxi] appears you drive what appears to be deliberately into the car. It must have been an upsetting incident for the car owner,” said His Honour Judge Geraint Walters.
Judge Walters gave Finley an eight-month prison sentence for the dangerous driving with a two-month concurrent sentence for the criminal damage offence. Both sentences were suspended for two years.
He disqualified Finley from driving for a year, after which she will have to retake her test.
She will also have to pay a £114 victim surcharge and undertake 20 days of rehabilitation activity and 150 hours of unpaid work.
“If you breach the order you will end up serving the sentence,” the judge told Finley.
Source: https://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/24244154.woman-reversed-front-taxi-row-driver/
Liverpool Licensing Officers discovered this Liverpool City Council private hire vehicle dropping passengers off at Aintree races today with an illegal tyre displaying cords it was that worn.
The driver told the officers he had only checked the tyres a week ago!
Driver to be reported for the offence and vehicle licence suspended!
A private hire driver from Widnes has been sentenced by the courts for touting for work without a licence after Creamfields.
According to the Runcorn & Widnes World, Stephen Kelly was handed a 12-month conditional discharge following an investigation and successful prosecution by Halton Borough Council’s licensing department.
The 57-year-old, from Widnes, was also ordered to pay £500 of the council’s costs plus a £26 surcharge.
On Wednesday 10 April, Warrington Magistrates’ Court heard how the incident occurred during Creamfields music festival in Daresbury in August last year.
Kelly repeatedly touted his vehicle for hire and did not have an operator’s licence in place, the council said.
The defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of touting for hire car services and two counts of acting as a private hire vehicle without an operator’s licence.
The sentence was welcomed by the council, with a spokesman stating: “Illegally touting for hire not only violates the law, but also puts the safety of passengers and other road users at risk.
“A private hire vehicle that is not pre-booked is not insured.
“One of the aims of the touting legislation is to secure the safety of passengers in private hire vehicles.
“Where licensed drivers are not adhering to the rules and risk endangering the public, the council will take action.
“The council would like to acknowledge the co-operation of the witnesses in this case which enabled the taxi licensing enforcement officer to fully investigate and resolve the matter.”
A taxi driver who was caught transporting a haul of cocaine worth up to £200,000 on the streets has been spared a jail sentence.
The East Lothian Courier reports that Ibrahim Oguz was stopped by police driving his Mercedes Vito on the A1 in East Lothian as he returned to Edinburgh from London in the early hours of September 28, 2021.
After he was pulled over, he told officers: "The key opens the glovebox. I don't know what's in there. The glovebox might have been interfered with in London."
Police found a kilo block of high-purity cocaine in the glovebox which had the potential to realise £201,000 if it was adulterated and sold in street deals.
Oguz, from Edinburgh, told police during an interview that he was asked by a man to collect a bag in Edinburgh which he thought contained between £19,500 and £20,000 in cash.
Advocate depute John Macpherson said: "He said he had been told to drive the bag to London and, as he did, he was provided an address, via his mobile phone, as to where to take it."
On arrival, he was met by unknown men who retrieved the bag and, after he went for a cigarette, he returned to the car and was told a package was in the glove box.
"He said he thought the package was something valuable, duly locked the glove box and drove back towards Edinburgh," said the prosecutor.
Oguz said that he was told to take the package back to the same area of Edinburgh where he previously collected the cash.
But the court heard that, on September 27, 2021, Police Scotland received intelligence that the Mercedes Vito driver had been involved in a transaction that would be a drugs offence and he was stopped on his return the following day.
Oguz admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine at an earlier court hearing.
Mr Macpherson told the court that Oguz was a Turkish male who was a self-employed taxi driver and had stated that he earned up to £1,000 a week through his employment.
A judge told him he had pleaded guilty to the serious offence of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs which would normally attract a jail sentence.
But judge John Morris KC imposed a community payback order on him with a two-year supervision order that he attend a mental health professional for such treatment as was considered appropriate.
He also ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.
Ways of increasing the amount of wheelchair-accessible taxis across the city are set to be explored to make it easier for those who need one to get one.
Cumbrian taxi drivers are fighting back against proposed licensing changes they fear will cripple their livelihoods.
Bolton taxi drivers are urged to sign up for free safeguarding and disability awareness training before the deadline on October 31st, 2024.
A Conwy Council meeting on Monday revealed a critical failing that allowed a taxi driver whose license had been revoked to continue transporting children to school.
Worcester City Council is seeking public opinion on a proposal to make safeguarding training mandatory for taxi and private hire drivers.
A proposal to increase driver, vehicle and private hire operator licences was discussed on Friday 19 July 19 at Sheffield City Council’s waste and street scene committee.
Through this collaboration, FREENOW willl provide additional benefits giving drivers up to 25% off pay-as-you-go rates across the entire bp pulse electric charging network and discounted fuel at all UK bp branded sites.
Wakefield Licensing, working alongside West Yorks Police Roads Policing unit, NPT, Off-Road Bike Team, Police Intercept Team, DVLA & DVSA, held a Partnership Day of Action at Thornes Park.
A pilot emissions reduction grant scheme providing financial support for hackney carriage drivers to upgrade to cleaner EURO 6 and fully battery powered vehicles has been launched.
The ride-hailing giant has submitted an application for an operator licence to Darlington Borough Council, with a decision expected in August.
Darlington could soon see Uber cars on its streets after the ride-hailing giant applied for a licence to operate in the town.
Stratford-upon-Avon District Council has revoked the licences of two taxi drivers following a series of speeding offences.
A Northampton taxi driver has been found guilty of trafficking cocaine between his home city and Milford Haven.
The move comes after concerns were raised by the taxi industry about the rising cost of purchasing new vehicles.