A taxi driver has been ordered to pay £695 for failing to have the correct licence and insurance in place following a successful prosecution.
Duncan Joseph Herron, aged 42, of Pennard Green, Twerton, Bath, appeared at Bath Magistrates Court on Wednesday 29th August 2012 for two offences.
Mr Herron pleaded guilty to failing to have a current Hackney Carriage Drivers Licence contrary to section 46 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and guilty of not having the correct motor insurance as required by Part IV of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
The Court heard that Mr Herron had failed to renew his Hackney Carriage Driver’s licence with Bath & North East Somerset Council and continued to knowingly drive a licensed Hackney Carriage vehicle in the city of Bath. This rendered any insurance cover in place for the vehicle he was using to carry unsuspecting passengers null and void.
Mr Herron was fined £280, ordered to pay a Victim Surcharge of £15 and costs of £400. He was also given six penalty points on his driving licence.
Councillor David Dixon (Lib-Dem, Oldfield), Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “The public have a rightful expectation that any driver who conveys them in a licensed Hackney Carriage has been through a process to establish that they are indeed a fit and proper person and also have the necessary licence and insurance required.
“Bath & North East Somerset Council is committed to ensuring people feel safe in their communities but when Mr Herron drove the taxi he put people at risk. The Council will not tolerate this kind of behaviour and any person who flouts the legislation is liable to be prosecuted.”
