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Rogue taxi
drivers heading for a Grand National fall
TAXI drivers in Liverpool,
who overcharge at events such as the Grand National festival are
being warned that they face losing their licences.
Liverpool City Council is to step up its enforcement activities
following complaints in previous years that some drivers refuse to
be hired until the passenger agrees to pay a higher fare than that
permitted by the council.
The complaints have come from both members of the public and
representatives of the taxi trade and the council is stressing that
the vast majority of taxi drivers only charge the permitted fares.
However, it is determined to crackdown on unscrupulous drivers who
take advantage of events such as the Grand National Festival when
members of the public and visitors to the city rely on taxis
throughout the four day event.
Drivers who are found to have overcharged will be reported to the
Licensing Committee who could revoke or suspend their licence.
All Liverpool licensed taxicabs have a set rate of fare displayed in
the vehicle and the charges displayed are the only permitted
charges. There are no separate fares payable due to the Festival and
the public are encouraged to only pay the fare displayed on official
tariff sheets in the taxi.
This year the Council Licensing Unit will be supplement its
enforcement teams with additional officers from its Street Nuisance
Team. These officers have been given delegated authority to carry
out taxi licensing enforcement operations and will target taxicab
drivers operating illegally.
Interim Head of Licensing John McHale said:- "We are
increasing our enforcement activity to protect the vast majority of
legitimate taxicab drivers who are a credit to the city and deserve
to be protected from this type of illegal activity which damages the
reputation of the city and the taxi trade as a whole as well as
leaving passengers out of pocket."
Members of the public are also asked to help and the council would
welcome any information from people who have been overcharged in
this manner and can provide details of the driver or vehicle
involved.
Information may be provided by phone on:- 0151 233 3015 or in
writing to:- The Licensing Unit Municipal Buildings Dale Street
Liverpool L2 2DH.
It's going to be
magic
FORMBY'S very first Indoor
market is opening this Saturday, 14 April 2012 from 10am to 5pm.
Adrian the magician will be there entertaining you with magic tricks
and there are stalls of every kind, including. Cup Cakes, Antiques,
Furniture old and new, Vintage jewellery and must haves, Budding
Beads will be doing jewellery workshops, JW Interiors have gifts,
plaques, garden furniture, planters and lots of unusual stock, other
stalls include Cheesecake Charlie, Artisan Bread, Liz's Cup Cakes
and Aliki Bags, but to name a few. All are local Entrepreneurs and
are very excited to be a part of this fun market place. Crazy Camel
t shirts will be printing your photos on mugs T shirs etc so bring
your favourite pictures along with you. Forshaws farm shop will be
taking orders for fresh veg which you can pick up at the market on
Saturdays. There will be refreshments all day and a free prize draw
to win a bottle of Champaign. Ring for details of Stalls:- 07848
696619 speak to Gill or James.
Calling all
telly addicts!
WOULD you like to have your
say about what’s on television?
Are you a family that loves to
spend the evening glued to the box?
Are you a family that has strong
and entertaining opinions about the television programmes you watch?
The crew at Studio Lambert in
London are looking for lively families who love to spend the evening
in front of the TV; critiquing, reviewing and reacting to what‘s on.
If this sounds like you please get
in touch for more information. Call:- 0207 534 2018 or
email
them.
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The oldest
mounted officer in the country is set to lead in the winner of this
year's Grand National
PC Norman Edge will be
accompanied by fellow mounted officer PC Simon Griffiths to flank
the winning horse and jockey as they ride into the winner's
enclosure at the Aintree Festival on Saturday, 14 April 2012.
PC Edge, who turns 60 on 15 May 2012, has served with Merseyside
Police for 38 years. His colleague, 52 year old PC Griffiths, will
retire in May after completing 30 years service with the Police.
PC Edge joined Merseyside Police in 1974 at the age of 22 and was
signed up to the mounted section in 1977. He is now responsible for
training new horses that join the Force and is in an exceptional
position of still riding and training Police horses at the age of
59.
Before joining the Force, PC Edge was a Lance Corporal in the
British Household Cavalry where he would take part in the trooping
of the colour and was a mounted escort at Princess Anne's wedding.
He has also served the Queen at her Silver and Golden Jubilees and
will be taking part in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June.
PC Griffiths joined Cheshire Police in 1982 at the age of 22 and
moved to Merseyside Police in 1993 where he worked as a patrol
officer in Huyton before moving to the mounted section in 1998.
Prior to joining the police, PC Griffiths worked in the agricultural
industry and was a herdsman on farms in Cheshire and Lancashire.
PC Edge has attended Aintree every
year since 1978 apart from one year. In 1992 he helped to catch the
Grand National winner Bonanza Boy and three years ago led the winner
in for the first time. He said:- "Leading the winner in is a
privilege and I am very proud to have the responsibility again.
Leading in the winning horse and jockey is not just a ceremonial
role. We are there to make sure the winner gets into the parade ring
safely. The horses we use for this job are well-established police
horses and they will be there for the three days of the Aintree
Festival."
PC Edge will be riding the Force's biggest horse, a bay called
Cronton, who stands at 17 hands 2 inches and is 12 years old while
PC Griffiths will be riding Eccleston; 1 of 2 mares in the Force who
stands at 17 hands 1 inch and is 11 years old. Both horses are
Shires crossed with Clydesdales.
One of the highlights of PC Edge's career has been policing the
homecoming of Liverpool FC from Istanbul after winning the 2005
Euopean Champions League. PC Edge said:- "More
than 1 million people lined the route to welcome the players home
and we surrounded the coach with 16 horses to ensure people didn't
get too close for their own safety. Police horses are specially
chosen for their temperament as well as their size and structure.
They naturally don't have any aggression and have to be able to stay
calm in large crowds. It is a great privilege to be a mounted
officer. Every time we ride around the streets of Liverpool we get
people wanting to touch the horses and speak to us; we find having
the horses breaks down barriers. There is an amazing bond between
humans and horses. Working alongside horses for as long as I have
has been a wonderful experience."
PC Griffiths and former nominee of the John Smiths People's Legend
award PC Ken Lawson were the first 2 mounted officers to work in the
city centre at nights on weekends. PC Griffiths said:- "It was
quite an experience being the first mounted officers in the city
centre at night on a weekend. Police work can be an extreme
environment for the horses, but we got a great reception from the
public and continue to do so today. We can deal with a wide variety
of situations from policing football matches and other events that
require high visibility and crowd control to incidents of disorder
to community events where children love seeing the horses."
PC Griffiths, who is looking to start a gardening and handyman
business when he retires in May, has worked at a variety of
prestigious events, including the Queen's Golden Jubilee where he
was one of 1000 riders and horses performing in a musical display
for the Queen, the Lord Mayor's Parade and the Blue Lights Horse of
the Year shows.
PC Griffiths has policed Aintree
every year for the last 12 years but this will be the first time
that he has led in the winner. He added:- "I am very proud to
be able to lead in the winning horse and jockey. It is a real honour
and a wonderful way to cap my career as a mounted officer. Working
with horses in a policing capacity has been an absolute privilege."
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