National Taxi Association

A HUNTINGDON taxi driver has been fined more than £1,500 for smoking in his cab.

In the first prosecution of its kind since the smoking ban was introduced, Huntingdonshire District Council brought criminal proceedings against cabbie Simon Meeke.

Meeke, who works for well-known local firm Steve’s Taxis, pleaded guilty to smoking in a smoke-free vehicle at Huntingdon Magistrates Court on Wednesday, August 11.

The court heard how Meeke, of Bliss Close, was seen by an environmental health officer on January 7 smoking in his vehicle outside the HDC’s Pathfinder House headquarters in St Mary’s Street, Huntingdon. He was approached by the officer, who asked him to put out his cigarette. He was also asked to provide his name and address, which he refused to do.

Having obtained Meeke’s details from his employers, the council served him with a fixed penalty notice, which he failed to pay within the specified time despite being given an extension.

During the court hearing, Vicki Stevens, prosecuting on behalf of the council, said: “Simon Meeke was seen smoking in his taxi, in contravention of the Health Act 2006, whilst parked outside the council’s offices. He was approached by an environmental health officer and asked for his name and address, which he failed to provide.”

Miss Stevens added that he had already been given written warnings after smoking in his taxi on a previous occasion.

As well as pleading guilty to smoking in a smoke-free vehicle, Meeke pleaded guilty to obstruction for failing to provide his name and address. He was fined a total of £1,524.62, comprising £150 for each offence and the council’s costs.

Councillor Andrew Hansard, whose executive responsibilities include environmental health, said: “The council is committed to protecting the health of the local community and persistent and flagrant breaches of public health legislation will not be tolerated. By smoking in his taxi, Mr Meeke chose not only to break the law but denied his customers their rights to travel in a smoke-free vehicle. Unfortunately, in this case, earlier written warnings did not have the desired effect and his refusal to pay a fixed penalty notice meant that the council had no choice other than to take the matter before the court.”

http://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/latest-news/huntingdon_cabbie_fined_1_500_for_smoking_in_taxi_1_601347

A taxi driver has become the first in the area to be taken to court for smoking in her cab.

Grandmother Susan Longman was having a smoke while waiting at a rank when she was spotted by a licensing officer from Havant Borough Council.

The 56-year-old was then sent a fixed-penalty notice of £30 to her home in Woolmer Street, Emsworth. But she ignored the fine and subsequent letters demanding payment until eventually the council had no choice but to serve her with a court summons. Mrs Longman did not show up at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court and was fined £352.57 in her absence.

Mrs Longman admitted ignoring all correspondence sent to her but has now agreed to pay the cash. But she has hit out at the fine. She said: ‘I most probably was smoking, I don’t really remember. But I would only do it on my own, not when there was anyone else in the car. To my mind I should be allowed to smoke in the car, it was mine, I bought it. ‘I have never smoked with passengers though. ‘What right has the council got to tell me what to do? ‘It wasn’t harming anyone else.’

The law against smoking in cabs was part of the wider smoking ban introduced in July 2007. Smoking is banned on all public transport as well as lorries and vans.

Mrs Longman received no sympathy from the taxi trade body, the National Taxi Association.

Wayne Casey, from the NTA, said: ‘The law on this is crystal clear. A taxi is classed as a workplace, a public place and she should not have been doing it. The law is the law and she can’t say she didn’t know about it.’

Mrs Longman has since given up her taxi job because she says she wasn’t making enough money. She says she pleaded guilty by post and will pay the fine back at £25 per week.

Stephen Dear, environmental health manager at Havant Borough Council, said: ‘We issue a fixed-penalty notice only when there is a flagrant disregard of the rules. ‘Because it was not paid, we had to take it to the next stage. ‘It has always been one of our licensing conditions that drivers don’t smoke whilst they have passengers but then the national smoking legislation came in in 2007 and made it an absolute offence to smoke in a taxi at any time.

‘The public have the right to have a clean atmosphere in their taxi.’ Other local authorities have issued fixed-penalty notices and warnings given but none has led to court action. There have been several high-profile court cases nationally of taxi drivers taken to court.

source: http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/newshome/

A WEYMOUTH taxi company boss has been ordered to pay £450 for smoking in his car.

Robert Wyn Huntley, the 60- year-old owner of Fleetline Taxi’s, pleaded guilty to the offence and was fined £100 and ordered to pay £450 costs by Weymouth Magistrates Court.

It was the second time Mr Huntley, of Clare Avenue, Chickerell, had committed the offence.

He had been given a fixed penalty notice in August 2009 for smoking in his taxi and was fined £30.

On March 5, this year, Mr Huntley was seen smoking in his Citroen Picasso private hire car.

Under the Health Act 2006, it has been illegal for people to smoke in a vehicle used for work since July 2007.

Chairman of the bench Sir Philip Williams said the incident had been an ‘expensive momentary lapse’ on Mr Huntley’s part.

A spokesman for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, who brought the case against the company owner, said: “Smoking a cigarette releases a variety of chemicals into the surrounding area.

“These chemicals are often referred to as ‘second-hand smoke’ and they can have extremely harmful effects on humans.”

He added: “Cigarette smoke chemicals can remain in a room or in this instance a taxi for several hours after the cigarette was smoked. “Levels of second-hand smoke in cars can be extremely high because of the restricted area in which the smoke is circulated.”

Mr Huntley was unavailable for comment.

source: http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/