Taxi Driver Online

With all the political correctness that is being foisted upon us in one way or another here is a letter from a person in Pontefract that highlights a problem we are all accustomed to. The reason why most council litter wardens aren't seen out late at night is because they fear for their safety, which is understandable. Who would want to confront a team of drunken litter louts at two in the morning?

This letter sums up the inconsistancy of the local councils policy.
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Ponterfract and CastleFord Today

August 9, 2006

HEADLINE: Real problems ignored

I HAVE read the article about the fine for dropping a sweet (Express, July 13) and the comments of Mr Charlie Tindall,

council warden manager, which made me feel disgusted.

The whole thing is pathetic. They are quick to charge any individual for a single minor litter offence.

I am running a hotel in Cornmarket in Pontefract where I am surrounded by takeaways and a taxi rank next door.

There are people late at night and early mornings gathering at the taxi rank with their takeaway food, dropping all their food boxes on my doorstep outside, urinating, vomiting and shouting. The pavement is full of grease and smells, it is disgusting. We can't sleep at night. I have complained to Wakefield Council many times, but they do nothing about it.

Yes, I agree with the law and regulations, but the people in authority are quick to prosecute minor things and are not addressing the main issue.

They are not implementing the law.

G A Gregoriou

Barley Mow Hotel

Cornmarket

Pontefract

Ironically it was a taxi controller who was fined in the first place

I didn't think pigeons ate sweets though.

Fined for dropping a sweet

SWEET toothed tot Alfie McKinlay landed his dad in a sticky situation when he was given an on-the-spot fine for dropping a sweet on the floor.

The two-year-old dropped the gummy treat in Pontefract's Market Place last week and his dad Craig was handed an instant £50 fine by council patrollers who spotted the offending confectionery.

Outraged Craig, of Pinewood Place in Knottingley, said he was tying his shoelace at the time of the incident and didn't see the toddler drop the sweet.

He said: "It's ridiculous. How can they expect a two-year-old to be able to put litter in the bin? And it was a sweet, not litter – it wouldn't have been long before the pigeons ate it."

The 27-year-old part-time taxi desk operator added: "I had just been to buy a pasty and was about to take a bite out of it when one of the patrollers asked me if I'd thrown the sweet on the floor.

"I said Alfie might have but if I'd seen him do it I would have picked it up and thrown it in the bin. I certainly didn't drop anything.

"But the patrollers said it was an offence and they were going to fine me £50. There was no warning or explanation.

"I rang the council, explained what happened and said I couldn't afford to pay the fine but the man I spoke to just said it wasn't his problem."

Charlie Tindall, the council's neighbourhood patroller and dog warden manager, said the fixed penalty was given to Mr McKinlay as he was seen throwing sweets rather than his son.

He said: "The notice was given because of the father's behaviour, which was witnessed by our patrollers.

"We are committed to making our towns cleaner and more pleasant places in which to live, work and shop and our neighbourhood patrollers will act if they see anyone acting in a way that damages the environment."

13 July 2006

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

first he was tying his shoe lace then he was eating a pie what was he doing can you tye your lace eat a pie and keep an eye on a 2 year old