Liverpool City Council dish out 98 fixed penalty notices to taxi and PHV drivers smoking in vehicles

Liverpool Licensing Enforcement Officers have been taking a firm stance on smoking in licensed taxi and private hire vehicles (PHV), as they have issued a total of 98 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to drivers caught breaking the law this year.

Since the Health Act 2006 was introduced, it has been prohibited to smoke in smoke-free places, and this includes licensed vehicles. The penalty for smoking in a licensed vehicle stands at £50, which can be reduced to £30 if paid within 15 days of the offence. However, failing to pay the penalty within 29 days will result in a court summons.

Fortunately, the majority of drivers who received FPNs promptly paid them in order to benefit from the reduced cost within the specified time frame. However, two Sefton Private Hire drivers chose to ignore the penalties and were consequently summoned to court on 23 November 2023.

In court, both drivers were fined £200 each, in addition to £150 in costs and an £80 victim surcharge. This brought the total penalty payable by each driver to a hefty £430.

The Liverpool City Council Licensing team have taken the opportunity to remind all licensed drivers who smoke that it is against the law to smoke in a licensed vehicle at any time. This includes instances when the driver is not on duty and is using the vehicle for personal reasons.

Liverpool Director of Public Health, Professor Matthew Ashton, commented: “The tough action our licensing team are taking is incredibly important. There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke. It contains carcinogens and is linked with asthma and respiratory infections. Furthermore children are more susceptible to the health impact of second-hand smoke as their airways are smaller, they breathe more quickly than adults and they are less able to remove themselves from smoking environments. Everybody has a right to breathe clean air and this intervention is one example of how we are working to make this possible for everybody living and visiting Liverpool.”