Cabbie fined under smoking laws

A BLACKPOOL taxi driver has had to pay more than £500 after failing to
put a No Smoking sticker in his cab.

Michael Boaler was fined £250 with £250 costs after being prosecuted by
Blackpool's licensing team.
He was also ordered to pay a £15 surcharge for the victims of crime after
failing to display the stickers which cost £1.

The conviction means Boaler now has to go before the town's public
protection sub committee and could face losing his licence or being
suspended.

Officials say the example should send out a strong message to the resort's
cabbies they must abide by new no smoking laws.

Boaler, 44, of Hodder Road, Fleetwood, was found to have breached
smoking ban laws by failing to display one of the small logos during a cab
crackdown in August – one month after new legislation was brought in.

Police and licensing officials, checking over his hackney carriage as part of
an operation to move private hire vehicles out of street taxi ranks, gave
Boaler a fixed penalty notice of £150 for the breach.

But when he failed to pay the fine the council decided to take legal action.
He pleaded guilty at Blackpool magistrates court.

Vicki Cartmell, prosecuting solicitor for the council, said: "Blackpool is
taking a robust stance on this issue. Drivers have to realise that if they
don't display the sign they are breaking the law.

"Some drivers mistakenly think it is the owner's responsibility to put up
the signs but the person who is behind the wheel will receive a fixed
penalty if there is no sign.

"They cannot claim ignorance. This issue has been widely publicised and
all taxi owners received a letter reminding them of their obligations in a
letter April."

Boaler is the third resort taxi driver to have been taken to task under the
new smoking ban legislation.

Two drivers caught smoking in their cabs, both on two occasions, received
fixed penalty notices and went before the public protection committee
where they were given official written warnings about their behaviour.