AN uninsured taxi driver who was caught plying for trade in the town centre has been ordered to pay more than £3,000 after Barnsley Council’s licensing enforcement team pursued a prosecution as part of a widespread crackdown to improve standards.

Mohammed Sajjad Khan had held a private hire driver’s licence with Sheffield City Council but it was suspended at the time of the offence last March.

Khan, of Bell House Road in Sheffield, ignored the suspension and continued to ply for trade, despite knowing he was uninsured to carry passengers as a result.

After failing to attend his court sentencing hearing last Thursday, he was sentenced in his absence.

He was ordered to pay a total of £3,416 which included a £2,000 fine, costs of £440 and a victim surcharge of £976.

Eight penalty points were put on Khan’s licence, leading to a six-month disqualification.

Coun Wendy Cain, cabinet spokesperson for public health and communities, said: “This is another great result for our regulatory and legal services teams, who do fantastic work in taking action against those who offer services illegally or without the proper licences.

“The safety of people who live in and visit our borough is a priority for us, and we’re committed to making sure that those who visit our town centre can enjoy a safe, enjoyable experience.

“Part of this means making sure that people have a safe journey to and from our town centre.

“Without the required licences, there is no assurance that a vehicle or driver is safe or suitable, which is why it’s important for us to take action against those who offer taxi services illegally.”

The result has been hailed as a step in the right direction by the licensing team, whose enforcement officers have continued to undertake regular checks on taxi drivers in the town centre since Khan was stopped.

Barnsley-based drivers have previously bemoaned rivals - some registered more than 100 miles away - for moving in on their long-held patches and have called for safety checks to be ramped up to protect livelihoods.

Coun Steve Green, who chairs the council’s licensing board, said it was a ‘concerning issue’ due to the amount of drivers - who obtained their licences elsewhere - plying for trade.

“We’ve found that a lot of drivers in Barnsley are registered elsewhere, such as Wolverhampton, where it’s easier to get a licence,” he added.

“As a local authority we have about 500 drivers registered with us, but in Wolverhampton there are in excess of 45,000 - that’s a staggering amount and it paints the picture of what we’re up against.

“We’re not satisfied how they are inspected and from what we’ve seen, the standards aren’t high.

“Customers have complained to us that the local knowledge just isn’t there, either, but we can’t enforce in the same way as we could if it was a Barnsley-registered taxi.”