Taxi driver faces £16,000 bill for claim against council

A taxi driver from Burley faces a £16,000 legal bill after his attempt to claim damages for a crash with a council van was thrown out in court.
Javed Iqbal, 51, of Burley Road, claimed he suffered whiplash and his car was damaged after a collision with a council van as both vehicles queued at a road junction in Bayswater Road.

But at Leeds County Court, Judge James Spencer, QC, rejected the claim and ordered Mr Iqbal to pay the council's legal costs – expected to be more than £16,000. The court heard that most of the alleged damage to the car's rear bumper was old and not as a result of the collision.

Although it confirmed that the van had knocked into Mr Iqbal's car causing a scuff mark on the bumper, the council challenged the claim that he suffered an injury. The judge said he didn't believe the jolt Mr Iqbal felt was enough to cause an injury and called him a chancer and opportunist who saw the collision as a chance to "have a go for some damages."

The court also heard that Mr Iqbal had lodged claims at least twice before in similar circumstances.