Essex police are investigating an assault which has left a taxi driver with a serious head injury in Colchester.

It was reported the victim, a man in his 40s, had been found injured in Brinkley Grove Road at around 1.50am on Saturday 2 November.

He has been taken to hospital where he is being treated for a fractured skull and bleed on the brain.

A man attended Colchester police station on Sunday 3 November and was arrested on suspicion of GBH with intent and is currently in custody.

Police enquires are ongoing and they are still looking to identify a man aged between 20 and 25, slim, and between 5ft 5ins and 5ft 9ins tall.

If you have any information or any CCTV / dashcam footage relating to the incident please contact Essex police quoting: 42/166162/24

PHTM wishes the driver a speedy recovery.

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It has been reported that Mayor Andy Burnham is confident that Wolverhampton plated PHVs will be banned from Greater Manchester.

However when questioned by a caller on a BBC Manchester radio show if the rumours were true he replied: “It’s not true, I’m afraid. I wish it was true.

“We want the law to be changed as quickly as possible to stop out-of-area working. We do not have that power at the moment

“We are hoping we will get [the power] in the English Devolution Bill. I am confident it’s coming, the ban on out-of-area working."

Before the election, the mayor said he had ‘a firm commitment’ from then shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh ‘that out of area working will be stopped under a Labour government.’

…..TIME WILL TELL.....

David Lawrie, Director of NPHTA - the National Private Hire and Taxi Association said: “ Whilst action does need to be taken, it is clear that the way in which it is being suggested is simply inaccurate, and cannot happen, since "out of town" means licensed outside of the individual council concerned, which in this case means Manchester City council.

“ It is not possible to ‘ban all those not licensed by Greater Manchester from entering the area, since firstly there is no such thing as a GM licence, and secondly, it is perfectly legitimate and legal for a pre-booked job to be carried out.

“For action to be taken against this practice of predominantly working out of area, it simply must be done the right way if it is to succeed!”

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A joint operation by South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridgeshire Constabulary has revealed widespread safety concerns among local taxi drivers.

Of the 17 taxis and PHVs inspected, only two were found to be fully compliant with licensing conditions, the rest were either sent advisory letters or issued with penalty points on their council-issued licence.

The checks included making sure that driver badges were displayed, door signage was in place, and that taxis were equipped with a first aid kit and fire extinguisher.

However, numerous violations were uncovered, ranging from minor infractions to more serious breaches of safety regulations.

Two drivers were caught parking illegally on double yellow lines, with one even disregarding a “no parking at any time” sign at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Additionally, one driver was issued a fixed penalty notice for failing to wear a seatbelt when not carrying passengers.

One vehicle was found to have illegal window tints of 49.6% instead of 75% minimum light, significantly reducing visibility and compromising safety. The vehicle’s licence was immediately suspended, and the driver was given 14 days to rectify the issue.

A South Cambridgeshire Council spokesperson said: "Most drivers were cooperative, but two had a poor attitude towards council and police officers, leading to one driver being cautioned by the police. Their suitability to continue to hold a licence may lead to a referral to the Taxi Licensing Sub-Committee."

South Cambridgeshire Neighbourhood Sergeant, Rob Taylor, said: "It was disappointing to see the majority of taxis checked during the operation were not meeting the required standards

“These checks will continue throughout the year to ensure everyone's safety."

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A Gloucestershire cabbie has been sentenced to 24 months in prison, suspended for two years, for sexually assaulting a female passenger who fell asleep in his cab.

Taranjit Singh, 49, from Gloucester, denied the assault and claimed he may have accidentally touched her breast as he was putting her seatbelt on for her. He also said the victim had taken his hand and put it inside her trousers.

However, he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault following a trial at Gloucester Crown Court on July 30.

The court heard that Singh had picked up the woman in her 20s and, instead of taking her home, drove her to an industrial estate where he sexually assaulted her.

The victim, who had fallen asleep, awoke to find Singh assaulting her. She tried to push him away but he persisted with the assault, telling her she was enjoying it.

The incident occurred in November 2021 after Singh, who was off-duty, agreed to pick up the victim, a breach of his taxi licence conditions.

The court was shown videos recorded by the victim on previous taxi rides where Singh had made sexual advances towards her. 

Following the sentencing, the victim said the incident had had a significant long-term impact on her mental health.

She expressed relief that she had reported the crime to prevent others from suffering similar experiences.

In addition to the suspended sentence, Singh has been banned from working as a taxi driver for 10 years, added to the Sex Offenders' Register for ten years and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which prohibits him from working or acting as a taxi driver or other paid driver of people in any vehicle for the next ten years.

He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £4,380 in prosecution fees.

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Taxi drivers in St Albans are set to face increased costs for various licensing fees.

The St Albans City & District Council’s licensing and regulatory committee approved a series of fee changes on 22 October, which will come into effect on 1 November.

Key fee increases include:

• Vehicle Licence: From £253 to £281.19
• Number Plate Change: From £45 to £84.21

However, some fees will decrease, such as:

• New Driver’s Licence: From £481 to £405.57
• Driver’s Licence Renewal: From £468 to £380.05

Daniel Pattenden, an environmental health manager, explained that the fee changes are necessary to cover the council's costs. Previously, central costs were divided among all licence holders, but now they will be directly linked to the time spent processing each application.

Mr Pattenden said it would mean charges are applied in a “fairer” way.

While a five-week consultation was held, no responses were received.

The council's licensing committee unanimously approved the fee changes without any questions or debate.

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