Liverpool officer SUSPENDS Knowsley PHV licence after dashboard warning light concealed
- Perry Richardson
- 3 hours ago
- 1 min read
Liverpool City Council has suspended a private hire vehicle licence after officers found a dashboard warning light had been deliberately covered to conceal a potential fault.
In a statement posted on social media, LCC Licensing said its officers identified a Knowsley-licensed PHV with an engine management light obscured during an evening inspection.
“Anything blocking the instruments on a dashboard is immediately suspicious,” the authority said. “This evening, LCC Licensing Officers found a Knowsley PHV with an engine management light deliberately obscured. The PHV licence was suspended following the discovery.”
The action highlights ongoing enforcement activity by Liverpool’s licensing team, which has taken a stringent approach to vehicle safety compliance since reforms were introduced following past regulatory failings in the city’s taxi and private hire sector.
Licensing officers take enforcement action after discovering obscured vehicle fault indicator during roadside check
Obscuring dashboard warning lights can prevent enforcement officers from identifying mechanical issues that may affect vehicle safety or emissions performance. Industry guidance requires all dashboard instruments to be operational at all times while a vehicle is in service.
The suspension also reflects continued scrutiny of out-of-area licensed vehicles operating within Liverpool, particularly those licensed in neighbouring authorities such as Knowsley. Cross-border hiring remains a contentious issue for regulators and trade bodies, with concerns around consistency of standards and enforcement.
Liverpool City Council did not provide further details on the operator or driver involved. It remains unclear whether additional enforcement or prosecution action will follow.
