A NANTWICH taxi driver has been thanked for providing his ‘dash cam’ footage to help trap an unlicensed operator.

Javeed Iqbal, of Coronation Street, Tunstall, Stoke on Trent, was plying for trade on a Hackney Carriage stand in Swine Market, Nantwich.

But he did not have a licence to operate in east Cheshire – and he didn’t know that he was being watched.

Another driver – properly licensed by Cheshire East Council, who does not wish to be named – used his dashboard camera in his taxi to record Iqbal’s Stoke on Trent licence plate. 

He then forwarded the information to the council’s enforcement team.

Iqbal pleaded guilty to the offence of unlawfully plying for hire within east Cheshire and a second offence of allowing his vehicle to wait in a designated Hackney Carriage stand.

Iqbal was fined £133 for each offence by South Cheshire Magistrates at Crewe, with £600 costs and a £30 victim surcharge, making a total of £896.

Councillor Ainsley Arnold, cabinet member with responsibility for enforcement, said: “I want to thank and applaud the taxi driver, who provided us with the important video evidence that helped to bring about this prosecution.

“The licensing enforcement team at CEC is clamping down on taxi operators who are not licensed to operate in the borough and, as a consequence, may not be insured.

“This case sends out a powerful message to those operators who flout the taxi licensing laws in east Cheshire. This practice not only puts the personal safety of their passengers at risk but also deprives the borough’s responsible and regulated drivers of business.”

Anyone with information about unlicensed taxi operators or drivers who appear to be picking up fares outside their area should contact the CEC enforcement team on 0300 123 5015