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City cabbies say they are being targeted by yobs throwing bricks and stones. Some drivers are refusing to drop off customers in parts of the city for their safety. Crime Correspondent GUY WOODFORD reports
CITY cabbies are working in fear of stone-throwing yobs who are targeting their vehicles.
They say there have been ten attacks on taxis in the past five weeks alone.
In the latest, a woman passenger suffered a head injury when stones were thrown at her cab on Hucknall Road near its junction with Gala Way, Bestwood.
Driver Mohammed Suleman said he heard his passenger scream and turned to see her cradling her head.
"I drove 200 to 300 yards further down Hucknall Road, stopped and radioed my base. I told them a passenger had been hit and asked them to call an ambulance," said Mr Suleman, 49, from Forest Fields.
"Other cab drivers were coming back from dropping off passengers and stopped when they saw me. They said stones had been thrown at their cabs too. A passing bus driver also stopped on seeing the police and told them his bus was also hit by stones."
Mr Suleman, who works for Fastlane Cabs, said his passenger suffered a head injury, but did not need to go to hospital following the attack at around 1am on Sunday, August 30.
Jamil Ahmed, secretary of the Nottingham Licensed Taxi Owners and Drivers Association, said: "It's worse than I've ever known it.
"It used to happen on the odd occasion but at the moment there seems to be a concerted effort. It seems to be so well organised.
"It's certainly taken a sinister change."
He said Bestwood, Top Valley, Rise Park and St Ann's were hot spots for the attacks.
Police have stepped up patrols in some of those areas.
But Mr Ahmed said some drivers are refusing to take customers to certain areas during peak attack times.
"On Sunday, August 30, alone, there were six incidents between 1am and 4am,"said Mr Ahmed, who represents the city's 411 registered Hackney cabs.
"Before, kids would throw stones and run away. Now those doing this are older and they stand there laughing at you as you react to what's happened."
Mr Ahmed recently met with Inspector Andy Townsend, and is writing to Notts Chief Constable Julia Hodson in a bid to speed up efforts to catch brick and stone throwing yobs.
He said some cabbies are now turning off their For Hire lights in attack hot spots in a bid to avoid becoming a target for the yobs.
During one of three attacks on Sunday, August 16, at the junction of Woodborough Road and Ransom Road in St Ann's, Abdul Majeed managed to catch one of a group of 12 stone throwers only for him to escape before police arrived.
"There were nine lads and three girls. Most were in their late teens. One of the boys was a lot younger," said Mr Majeed, 52, from Bramcote.
Mohammed Yousaf, 53, from West Bridgford, who nearly lost the sight in one eye after the window of his cab was smashed in an attack last year, said: "These people get a kick out of this but are putting our lives and our passengers' lives at risk."
Inspector Rob Wilson said: "This sort of reckless action can put drivers, passengers and other road users at serious risk.
"I appeal to anyone who knows those involved to contact the police immediately so we can prevent someone from being seriously hurt."
Anyone with information should contact police on 0300 300 9999. Alternatively call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.
Got to agree with the Nottingham Drivers on this one, I've been a victim of the stone throwers in Rise Park, a dent in my wing and one in the door is proof enough, when they've hit you with the stone they run off across the golf course.
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FAQ
Well I've got the glitter pot if they've got the paint and I also have the perfect estate to test it out on. It's a straight run from one end to the other and you don't even have to watch out for cyclists cos I've only ever seen one cyclist use the cycle lane (provided at great expense) in the 9 years I've been doing this job 
