A taxi driver from Cefn Hengoed has been ordered to pay more than £700 by Caerphilly Magistrates after he was reported for driving an unlicensed taxi.
David Eastwick, of The Close, Cefn Hengoed, was prosecuted by Caerphilly County Borough Council.
The authority’s trading standards team took action after they discovered he had used an unlicensed taxi vehicle to transport passengers on a total of 23 trips on March 27 this year.
Although the vehicle itself was insured by the taxi operator, Eastwick failed to renew his taxi licence, which had expired two days before.
The offences came to light following an anonymous complaint to Trading Standards.
The case was heard at Caerphilly Magistrates’ Court last week.
Eastwick did not attend but the case was proven in his absence. He was ordered to pay a £350 fine, £85 prosecution costs, £15 victim surcharge and £283.06 investigative costs.
Councillor Lyn Ackerman, cabinet member for the environment said: “The safety of our residents in using taxis is of paramount importance to us, and fortunately we experience very few instances of unlicensed taxis attempting to operate in Caerphilly County Borough.
“This incident was particularly serious given that the driver was not driving a vehicle licensed by the council, therefore was driving a vehicle that had not passed the required safety checks.
“I would encourage anyone with any information on unlicensed taxi drivers operating in Caerphilly County Borough to contact us.”
For further information, or to report an unlicensed taxi in the county borough, contact Trading Standards on 01495 235 291.