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| More yob trouble in Bolton http://taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4429 |
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| Author: | JD [ Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:03 am ] |
| Post subject: | More yob trouble in Bolton |
UK Newsquest Regional Press - This is Lancashire September 20, 2006 Wednesday HEADLINE: Women in peril driving taxi BYLINE: Ed Chadwick PASSENGERS were showered with glass when louts smashed the rear window of a taxi. The attack was the latest in a string of incidents which private hire driver Barbara Culver says have pushed her to the brink of quitting her job. A gang of up to 50 yobs surrounded the vehicle in Bridge Street, Stoneclough, before one youth is thought to have used a bat or a piece of wood to smash the window - leaving her with a £350 repair bill. The terrified 59-year-old sped away and hid from the mob while police were called to the scene. Mrs Culver, of Little Hulton, now fears that a taxi driver could die on the streets of Bolton after a surge in the number of attacks targeting drivers. In August last year, yobs kicked her vehicle, damaging the front wing, and the front passenger-side window was smashed in June when a rock was hurled at the car in George Street, New Bury. "The kids who do this have no respect and know they can get away with it," said Mrs Culver. "It's expensive enough keeping a taxi on the road as it is at the moment but every time I have to pay for a repair because someone has smashed my window, I spend the next week working for free and I'm beginning to wonder whether it's worth it. Soon enough, nobody will want to be a taxi driver because of all the hassle." The attack, which took place at 8.50pm on Friday night, comes less than two months after 36-year-old driver Mohammed Nasar was stabbed with a knife on Westwood Close, Farnworth. Mrs Culver's daughter, Jeanette Culver, who also works as a taxi driver, said: "The problem is definitely getting worse and, unfortunately, it will probably need a taxi driver to get killed before we get some protection. Female drivers in particular are easy targets for people to attack."And private hire driver Abdul Khalique was punched by a group who tried to board his private hire minibus in Bank Street, Bolton, in May, leaving him unconscious and bleeding from a wound to his head. That incident came just weeks after a taxi driver was robbed at knifepoint in Hall i' th' Wood by two men whom he picked up in Bolton town centre. Drivers threatened to boycott parts of Bolton after cars were pelted with bricks and stones in April. A police spokesman said residents had reported a group of up to 50 youths gathering in Stoneclough on Friday night and appealed for information. Any witnesses are asked to contact police on 0161 872 5050 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. ............................................................. |
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