Taxi and minicab checks in St Helens find defective tyres and unlicensed vehicles as venues reopen

Licensing officers from St Helens Borough Council and Merseyside Police carried out late night checks on taxis and private hire cars, finding defective tyres and unlicensed vehicles.

The checks took place over the weekend in St Helens Town Centre and across the borough as the late-night trade returns with the reopening of hospitality venues indoors.

In total, 43 vehicles and their drivers were checked over Friday and Saturday night and the review found a number of issues with taxis licensed outside of the borough with one having two defective front tyres and the police taking immediate action against the driver.

Other vehicles were given Fixed Penalty Notices for poor parking or driving with fog lights on, while another vehicle had a faulty brake light.

There were fewer issues found in St Helens' licensed vehicles, although one unlicensed vehicle was found to be working illegally, a notice was issued for unreported damage to a vehicle and one person was working without the required identification.

Councillor Jeanie Bell, Cabinet Member for Safer, Stronger Communities, said: “Here in St Helens Borough we are really proud of the high standards that we apply to our licensed community and through our Know Your Ride campaign launched in 2019 we have shown how committed our St Helens registered drivers are to providing people with the best service. These checks show that the general standard of licensed vehicles registered here in St Helens Borough is extremely high. Please do show your support for our taxi drivers and ask for a St Helens registered driver when you are booking.

“I would like to thank those who were stopped to take part in the exercise for their patience and courteousness that they displayed to our officers and the police. We appreciate that the weekend is their busy time period but they understood the reasons and worked alongside our teams.”

Superintendent Steve Brizell, from Merseyside Police, added: “The Know Your Ride campaign is an important part of a combined approach with your local Police Officers, the Licensing Team from St Helens Borough Council and also the local Taxi Drivers, to ensuring that the standard of licensed vehicles in St Helens remains high. The checks conducted over Friday and Saturday night were part of an operation to ensure the reopening of licensed premises happened safely and remained Covid secure.

“There will be Police Officers on patrol in and around the Town Centre and other areas of St Helens over the forthcoming weekends to ensure that those out and about can enjoy their evening and return home safely and securely.”