TAXI LICENCE REFUSED AFTER CONWY PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER FAILS TO REPORT CRASH

A private hire vehicle licence has been rejected by Conwy County Council after the operator failed to report that the car had been involved in a crash.

Members of the general licensing committee voted overwhelmingly to refuse the application for a Skoda Octavia following a series of rule breaches and safety suspensions.

The application was submitted by Barry Dimelow of Lyn-An Ltd, a company that has been operating for "about 20 years."

Under Conwy's strict licensing rules, all private hire vehicles must be under five years old and kept in an "exceptionally good mechanical and bodily, interior, and exterior condition."

Crucially, operators are legally required to report any accident to the authority within 72 hours.

The committee heard that the Skoda had previously had its licence suspended in November last year on the grounds of "public safety" due to a cracked rear light. While the light was fixed, the car's bodywork remained under scrutiny.

When council officers followed up on the vehicle's condition in January 2026, they discovered it had been involved in a crash that was never reported.

During the meeting, Cllr Chris Brockley questioned the operator: “Is there a reason why it (the crash) wasn’t reported by the operator at the time of the accident or, I believe, within 72 hours of the incident?”

Mr. Dimelow defended the oversight by stating: “I didn’t know it needed to be reported because there was no other vehicle in the incident. The driver clipped the wall.”

However, councillors questioned how an experienced operator could be unaware of the regulations.

Pointing out Mr. Dimelow's long history with the council, Cllr Andrew Wood asked: “So presumably you’ll be very au fait with the rules and regulations in which we operate and the amendments we do from time to time?” Mr. Dimelow confirmed that he was.

Because the required accident report was never made, the vehicle's previous licence expired and was automatically revoked in March 2026.

Following the debate, Cllr Wood proposed to refuse the new licence application altogether, a move backed by seven out of eight voting councillors.

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