FINE FOR RAMSGATE TAXI DRIVER

A Ramsgate taxi driver has been fined £400, after pleading guilty to leaving his vehicle unattended and plying for hire without a licence.

A taxi belonging to Bahattin Demir (46) from Bellevue Road was seen parked up and unattended on the taxi rank in King Street, Ramsgate in March 2010 by one of the council's Licensing Officers. He was issued with a verbal warning.

The vehicle then underwent its annual inspection, as part of the re-licensing process. It failed the inspection because of a broken window and issues with cleanliness. As a result, the licence for the vehicle expired on 31 March 2010. The vehicle was not presented for any further inspection and no renewal documents were presented by Mr. Demir.

On 12 April 2010, the same licensing officer saw the vehicle, once again parked and unattended on the taxi rank in Ramsgate High Street. It was displaying its "taxi" sign and had a taxi plate on the rear of the vehicle. When Mr. Demir returned to the vehicle, he was advised that he would be reported for the offence and he drove off.

He was fined £50 for the first offence of leaving his vehicle unattended and then was fined a further £350 for using the vehicle when it was not licensed as a Hackney Carriage.

Cllr. Simon Moores, Cabinet Member for Customer Services and Regulatory Services, said: "Using an unlicensed vehicle is not something that the council is prepared to turn a blind eye to. In this case, there were problems with the vehicle's cleanliness and its road worthiness, which is why the licence was not renewed. When people take a taxi in Thanet, they need to know that they're going to be safe and that's why we have rules like this in place."