THE MAJORITY of taxis on the district’s roads passed recent safety inspections.
Warwick District Council, working in partnership with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and Warwickshire Police, carried out inspections of 53 licensed private hire and hackney carriage vehicles to ensure they were safe and legal. The teams were assisted by mechanics from the council’s nominated garages, H M Bryan and Sons Ltd and Tyreman Ltd.
The inspections did find a small number of vehicles to be at fault, with immediate action taken by WDC and its partners to remove the vehicles from the road.
One vehicle had an inside tyre tread below minimum. The vehicle was immediately prohibited. The Private Hire vehicle had its plate suspended and follow-up will take place to ensure the vehicle is in a road worthy condition before the suspension is lifted.
A vehicle with illegal tinted windows on the front of the vehicle was immediately prohibited. This prohibition was then lifted with the vehicle still on site when the tint was removed. The driver received a fixed penalty notice. The number plates were also nonstandard, and this will be followed up by enforcement officers.
Another vehicle had an indicator light not working. The vehicle was immediately prohibited, and this will only be lifted once repaired.
Of the remaining 49 vehicles, 14 had minor licensing infringements which will be followed up by licensing officers.
WDC’s safer communities spokesperson Coun Jim Sinnott said: “I would like to express my thanks to the council’s licensing team, the DVSA, Warwickshire Police and the nominated garages for once again carrying out these inspections.
“Taxi drivers play an important role in providing transport to those who need it, so it’s vital that they keep their vehicles safe and legal and are fully aware of what’s required of them, protecting both their passengers and the wider community. It’s great to see that most of the vehicles inspected adhered to their licensing conditions. For those that didn’t, our officers will be closely following this up to ensure compliance.
“The council takes its licensing responsibilities seriously and will not hesitate to take action to guarantee the public’s safety.”
