Multi-authority roadside operation targeted taxis and private hire vehicles operating around Stansted Airport
- Perry Richardson
- May 7
- 2 min read
Two vehicles were seized and 28 drivers were reported for motoring offences during a joint vehicle safety operation near Stansted Airport involving police, licensing officers and the DVLA.
The operation, carried out on Thremhall Avenue on 29 April, saw officers from the Stansted Airport neighbourhood policing team work alongside roads policing officers, the Commercial Vehicle Unit, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and licensing teams from Uttlesford, Braintree, Chelmsford, Harlow and Wolverhampton councils. A total of 50 vehicles were stopped for inspection.
The checks were primarily aimed at taxis and private hire vehicles operating at the airport, although officers also stopped other motorists where potential offences were identified.
Police said the offences detected included driving without insurance, failing to wear seatbelts and the use of illegally modified registration plates, commonly known as “ghost plates”.
Stansted Airport taxi checks lead to two vehicle seizures and 28 motoring offence reports
PC Ross Ashcroft from the Stansted Airport Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “The vast majority of drivers of private hire vehicles and taxis are law-abiding and keep their vehicles well maintained.
“But there are a few who ignore the laws which help to keep them, their passengers and other road-users safe and it’s those few we are looking out for.”
Ashcroft said officers were “disappointed” to have seized two uninsured vehicles during the operation. He added that drivers carrying paying passengers must comply with several legal requirements, including medical assessments to confirm they are fit to drive.
Police said further joint enforcement operations are planned around Stansted Airport, which serves passengers travelling from across the UK, as authorities continue to monitor compliance among taxi and private hire operators working at the transport hub.
Ross added: “I was disappointed that we had to seize two vehicles for being uninsured. We also reported 28 drivers for prosecution related to offences including not being insured, not wearing seatbelts and for illegally-modified index plates, or ‘ghost plates’.
“A number of legal requirements must be met by drivers who are paid to carry passengers and this includes a medical examination to ensure they are fit to drive.
“Stansted Airport attracts air passengers from all over the country and we will be carrying out more of these checks with the DVLA and councils in the future to ensure their safety on the roads as they arrive at and depart from the airport.”
