A total of 170 taxi drivers were stopped by officers in Merseyside this weekend as part of a joint operation from Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council.
On Friday and Saturday, December 19, 27 taxi drivers were issued with enforcement action from Merseyside's Road Policing Unit, including defect notices or suspension of licences.
The operation was carried out to deter taxi drivers from travelling to the region from Tier 3 areas and to identify uninsured or defective vehicles.
This was done in partnership with Liverpool City Council and City of Wolverhampton Council Taxi Licensing, and saw 170 taxis inspected in total, in line with Covid-19 and road safety regulations.
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Inspector Chris Barnes said: “The threat of Coronavirus is still very real here in Merseyside and we simply cannot let our guard down, or allow any behaviour or travel which heightens the risk of infection within our communities. That’s why officers were out this weekend taking action against taxis travelling in from Tier 3 and other areas.
“As a result of the work of our dedicated Roads Policing Unit, defective and unlicensed vehicles, which can cause huge risks for companies, drivers and their customers were taken off the road this weekend.
“I’d encourage all taxi drivers and operators to regularly check your vehicles, as the vast majority do. Keeping our roads safe for all road users is vital, and we know too well the devastation that serious collisions can and do cause. We will keep on doing all in our power to reduce this impact.”
You can follow our @MerpolTraffic on Twitter for the latest updates on roads policing. Please report any concerns about driving via 999 if a crime is progress, to our social media desk @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
