Nottingham's black cab drivers are facing an uncertain future after the closure of the Station Street exit to Nottingham Railway Station. They argue that the move is the "final nail in the coffin" for their industry.

The drivers' plight stems from a series of changes to the station's layout over the past decade.

The original taxi rank on Carrington Street was replaced by a pedestrianised entrance, and subsequent relocations to Station Street and Trent Street have further eroded their visibility and accessibility to passengers.

Chander Sood, secretary of the Nottingham Hackney Carriage Owners and Drivers Association, expressed deep concern about the impact of the closure of the Station Street exit.

"We're choking now," he said. "We used to wait 15 minutes for a job, and now it's around two hours.

"Is it worth it? How am I going to survive? We have more than 200 drivers with families to feed that rely on this trade. The council needs to wake up."

The drivers argue that while private hire companies can be booked in advance, black cabs rely on visibility and immediate availability.

The Trent Street move was not welcomed by the drivers, but they had no choice, said driver Mohammed Akram. Drivers say Nottingham City Council told them that the Station Street exit was where most passengers left the station and would thus see the taxis immediately.

For a decade they have operated from there, but say trade has slowly dwindled. On October 30, East Midlands Railway (EMR) closed the Station Street exit as part of a three-week trial to try and clamp down on fare dodgers entering the station that way and accessing the platforms without a ticket.

Mr Akram, a driver with 36 years of experience, emphasised the inconvenience caused to passengers, particularly those with disabilities or heavy luggage.

He said: "We've complained so many times over the years to licensing. We're losing a lot of business. When we were at the station entrance, people came into the foyer and we were there. Now, when they come out, they can't see us because we're hidden.

"They have to ask where the taxis are. There aren't any signs. We're losing about 40-50% of trade.

"All the drivers are very upset at the moment. If we can't come to a compromise we've got no choice but to protest and get legal advice."

The closure trial lasts until November 17, but the drivers fear that it may become permanent. 

Cllr Neghat Khan, leader of Nottingham City Council, acknowledged the concerns raised and pledged to meet with East Midlands Railway to discuss the situation.

He encouraged residents to provide feedback to EMR during the trial period.

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Warrington taxi drivers are now equipped with military-grade bandages to help save lives in emergencies.

The initiative, spearheaded by the Oxford-based charity RAPAID, aims to provide immediate first aid in cases of serious bleeding, such as those resulting from knife crime, serious accidents or major incidents.

Participating taxis will display green window stickers, making them easily identifiable to the public and emergency services.

These vehicles will be ready to provide essential aid in the crucial moments before professional medical help arrives.

Alex Chivers, founder of RAPAID and a retired police firearms officer and special forces veteran, emphasised the importance of rapid intervention in cases of severe bleeding: "With a serious haemorrhage, you can bleed to death in under five minutes.

"Time truly saves lives, and the quicker treatment begins, the better the chances of survival.

"It made perfect sense to use the same military bandages designed for the battlefield and to have these bandage kits carried on taxis that are in and out of our community day and night.”

The distribution of these emergency bandage kits in Warrington coincides with Operation Sceptre, a week-long campaign by Cheshire Police working in partnership with residents, community groups and partner organisations to reduce the impact of knife crime across the county.

Superintendent Andrew Blizard, Cheshire Police’s knife crime lead, said: “Knife crime is a key priority and the distribution of emergency bandages to taxis across Warrington could be the difference in saving someone’s life.

"The RAPAID campaign is a welcome addition to a range of initiatives that are in place across the county.”

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A Ramsgate veteran who lost his treasured beret on Remembrance Sunday has been reunited with it thanks to the quick thinking of a black cab driver.

Rifleman Paul Jacobs, who served in the 2nd Battalion The Rifles, was devastated when he realised his beret was missing after attending the Cenotaph service in Westminster on Sunday.

Paul said: "It's important because it represents the regiment that I'm from and what I stand for and what I've done. But it's what's inside. There's a special silver coin inside behind the cap badge.

"It's two sided. On one side is a kneeling angel, and on the other side is hope. It was given to me by a dear who was my schoolteacher when I grew up in Ramsgate."

"I've had that coin with me wherever I've gone, whether it's climbing Everest or Kilimanjaro, walking across Norway, marathons - wherever it maybe, that coin is with me."

The coin first went with Paul on his tour of Afghanistan in 2009, where he was blinded by a bomb and severely injured while trying to save a colleague.

He was awarded the George Medal for his resilience and courage as a dedicated soldier who always acted to serve others.

Paul's plea for help on social media went viral and caught the attention of the The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans which mobilised a team of cabbies to scour the capital for the missing item.

Out of all the taxi drivers that could come to the rescue, it was cabbie Dave Hemstead, a former Rifleman himself.

The pair were reunited at an Armistice Day event in London, honouring their fallen friends and marked a successful operation over a cup of tea.

Dave said: "I was just out working yesterday taking veterans to and from different Remembrance events and the post come up, so I thought i'd best have a look because he's a Rifleman and I was a Rifleman as well.

"I knew what to look for, I knew it was a green beret so it was just trying to find one out amongst all the foliage on the side of the road and somebody kindly picked it up and put it on a fencepost.

Paul added: "I was quite distressed yesterday so thank goodness for the Taxi Charity for Miltary Veterans."

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A Glasgow private hire driver has been found guilty of careless driving after running over a woman who had collapsed on the road.

John Paul Borland, 42, was convicted at Glasgow Sheriff Court having initially stood trial for dangerous driving.

He struck Patricia McBride, then 52, in Toryglen on the night of March 6, 2022.

The court heard that Ms. McBride had been feeling unwell and collapsed while crossing Prospecthill Road resulting in her laying across the road.

She was taken to hospital where her condition was treated as "life threatening." She was placed in a medically induced coma within the intensive care unit for six days. 

She sustained 30 separate rib fractures, a pelvic fracture, a collapsed lung, blood in lungs and a spinous process fracture. She was discharged from hospital on March 31 2022.

Miss McBride also suffered a fractured collarbone, right clavicle, left wrist and right arm as well as wounds to her liver, kidney and spleen.

The now former private hire driver, Borland, told the court that he was starting his shift in the south side of the city on the night of the incident. He stated that when he was driving, he saw a man waving at him in the distance from the side of the road.

Borland said: "As I got closer, I saw him waving and as I approached, I saw him and that's when I hit the woman on the road.

"Immediately after the impact, I put the handbrake on and the first thing I did was run out of the car and a witness said that there was nothing I could have done then I asked for an ambulance to be called."

The prosecutor asked Borland in cross examination if he was blaming the waving man for the incident and he replied: "I'm not blaming anyone."

It was revealed that Borland, of the city's Cathcart, has two previous road traffic convictions.

Sheriff Paul Reid deferred sentence to allow for background reports and continued Borland's bail.

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Cabbies in Cumberland have hit out at plans to introduce a penalty point system, arguing it is unnecessary and could deter honest reporting.

The proposed scheme is based on a similar system introduced by the now-defunct Carlisle City Council, which was merged with Allerdale and Copeland councils to form Cumberland Council in 2023. It would see drivers penalised for a range of offences, including not complying with their licences, smoking in their vehicles, playing loud music and failing to display the correct signage.

A consultation on the scheme attracted a largely negative response, with many arguing it would create unnecessary bureaucracy and could be used maliciously by competitors.

A report prepared ahead of the regulatory committee meeting today said "the majority" of those responding called for the scheme to be scrapped.

One response to the consultation said the penalty point system did not give "any space for human error".

"Small issues that can easily be ironed out in a matter of seconds or minutes should not impose the threat of penalty points or revocation of operators' licences," it said.

They added the "threat" of points may deter drivers from being open with licensing staff, while they preferred to work "hand in hand".

Another response raised concerns about the potential for "vindictive" complaints about competitors, "with the intention of putting other operators or certain drivers off the road".

One response was in favour of the scheme, but said it would only work "as long as there is someone to enforce it".

Cumberland Council is now considering amendments to the penalty points scheme, but remains committed to its implementation.

Some amendments to the original draft have already been proposed, including the requirement for drivers to adhere to a dress code and restrictions on licensing cars older than ten years.

The committee will be asked to approve the amendments with a view to considering a new version of the penalty point system in January.

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