Desperate taxi drivers are living in their cabs just to collect a single fare each day from desolate London's Heathrow Airport.
One veteran cabbie told the Mirror that the drastic drop in air traffic since the start of the pandemic 15 months ago has caused a 60% drop in income.
Earlier this week the dire situation was highlighted when a driver was found dead inside a car.
The 56-year-old man is believed to have been dead for at least three days.
He was discovered in his sleeping bag in the back of the vehicle on Wednesday afternoon.
It is thought he had not been noticed earlier because there are so many black cabs parked for hours on end at the same location.
Earlier this month the Mirror highlighted the plight of Black Cab drivers who sleep overnight in their taxis as they wait for fares in 24-hour queues at Heathrow.
Have you been affected by this story? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk
At the taxi feeder car parks just outside what used to be one of the world's busiest airports, drivers sleep on mattresses in the back of their vehicles to keep their place in their queue.
If they leave their cabs in the line and go home to rest for a few hours they will lose out on the chance of picking up a passenger from the terminal.
Most are arriving in the early hours of the morning in the hope of getting a passenger before nightfall.
Jimmy, 74, who has been a London cab driver for 50 years, said: “He used to sleep here all of the time. He didn't have a healthy lifestyle. It's a terrible tragedy.
“This pandemic has affected all of us though. I got here at 3am, and I'll be lucky to leave by 6pm.
"We know everyone's got their problems, but it's been really bad for us.
"You only get one fare, which might be just £40, and then you can't get back in again within the same day, so that's it for a long day's work.
“You have to pay for your tax, fuel and cab licence out of that. It used to be three times that at least before the pandemic.”
Another driver, Russell Poluck, 76, said: “The private hire cars and Uber have slaughtered us. We have to stay here. We have no other choice."
One driver, who asked not to be named, said: "We are all working very long hours, and trying to keep our families together, and it's very stressful."
A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: “Police were called shortly after 16:01hrs on Wednesday, 12 May to Newall Road, near Heathrow following reports of an unresponsive man in a car.
“Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and a man in his 50s was pronounced dead at the scene. The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”
A Heathrow Airport spokesperson said: “We are aware of and saddened by this incident. Our teams are on hand to support with any Police enquiries.”
