North Tyneside Council has been identified as one of the top council areas in the UK for issuing fines to taxi drivers caught smoking in their vehicles.
According to a Freedom of Information request by tobacco alternative firm Alternix, the council ranks seventh, with 14 fixed penalty notices handed out between April 6, 2024, and April 5, 2025.
The top ten areas for fines are as follows:
Smoking, and vaping, in licensed taxis and private hire vehicles is prohibited for both drivers and passengers under the Health Act 2006. The fines for this offence are £30 if paid within 15 days, increasing to £50 if paid within 29 days.
Joanne Lee, head of public protection at North Tyneside Council, emphasised the importance of the ban, stating: "The rules are there to protect public health and ensure that vehicles remain clean and safe for everyone." She added that the council takes its "enforcement responsibilities seriously" and uses "all options available to us to protect children and non-smokers from the harms of second-hand smoke."
The NHS highlights the dangers of second-hand smoke, noting that it can increase the risk of cancer and heart disease in adults, and is linked to premature births and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in babies. Children exposed to it are also more likely to develop breathing illnesses like asthma.
A key change is the removal of all vehicle age limits, a shift from the previous requirement that vehicles be under five years old.
Ovidiu Budulan pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on July 24 to breaching the Equality Act 2010.
On Wednesday, July 30th, taxi and private hire drivers will converge on Cochrane Street from 12.30pm, flanking the City Chambers with vehicles.
We are seeing an increase in private hire vehicles being reported for the plates being inside the rear window of vehicles and not clearly displayed.
Rochdale taxi and private hire drivers are being granted a significant extension to upgrade their vehicles to greener models, pushing the deadline back by nearly five years to August 31, 2030.
Council papers reveal that the chairman and other committee members had previously expressed a desire for mandatory CCTV in all taxis.
The male private hire driver, who was working for the company Swoop, picked up the teenager in Swindon and drove her approximately 15 miles to her destination in Calne.
The proposed changes, agreed at a recent cabinet meeting, will now undergo an eight-week public consultation starting August 8th.
The city council's cabinet approved changes that will mean all taxi owners must have DBS checks for unspent convictions and cautions.
A Worksop taxi company is helping to recruit much needed additional drivers in the district thanks to a streamline pre-licensing process, supported by Bassetlaw District Council.
Thanet District Council (TDC) has come under fire after releasing a draft of its policy for private hire and Hackney Carriages, which proposes a penalty points system to keep drivers in check.
People who pay their tax through Self Assessment are to benefit from new services, making the process simpler and easier, the Government has announced.
Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood confirmed today that the number of chargepoints in the UK has grown by 27% in the past year, with 17,370 added since July 2024.
Stevenage Borough Council is proposing to eliminate the taxi rank on Danestrete as part of the ongoing redevelopment of the former Swingate House site.
John Howard Robert, 65, initially denied charges of dangerous driving and perverting the course of public justice but later pleaded guilty.
Research by the road safety charity IAM RoadSmart found that more than a third (38%) of drivers admit to consuming alcohol after 9pm, despite planning to drive before 9am the following day.
Parry, who started her company in August 2023, was previously a driver for a larger firm before deciding to branch out on her own.
Andrejs Nikitins, has been caught with a massive haul of illegal cigarettes and tobacco, valued at over £400,000 in unpaid duty and VAT.
Dozens of taxi drivers in Bolton face suspension for failing to complete mandatory safeguarding and disability awareness training, six years after the programme was first approved.
The money, found in the boot of the vehicle, was discovered after officers stopped the taxi on Saturday, July 19.