Snared taxi driver pays up £700
Published: 09/09/2010
A taxi driver who did not have the proper licence or insurance was hit with a bill for more than £700.
Private hire driver Michael Burr, of Fortune Way, Bassingbourn, was snared in a clampdown at Stansted Airport on April 30 this year.
Police found he had incorrect insurance and fined him £200 on the spot, with six penalty points also being imposed.
South Cambridgeshire District Council found he did not have the proper private hire licence, which involves having more rigid checks of his vehicle done in addition to a standard MOT.
At Cambridge Magistrates’ Court, Burr was fined £400 – the largest ever recorded by the council – and ordered to pay £115 costs.
Julie Stallabrass, a licensing officer at the authority, said: “We knew this driver would get a fine, but we were quite surprised by the total amount.
“The magistrates have made an example of him in the hope it will deter other people from doing the same.
“The court said that due to the seriousness of not having a licence, and not having the correct insurance, there could have been serious consequences for any passengers, should he be involved in a collision.”
Burr, 48, now has the required licence and correct insurance.
Source; http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Royston ... up-700.htm