Middlesbrough taxi driver retains licence with warning

The man’s private hire vehicle driver licence was at risk of being revoked by Middlesbrough Council’s licensing committee, but in the end he was let off with a warning. The taxi driver had already paid a fine to Stockton Council, prior to the meeting of the licensing committee. Ahead of the decision made by councillors, it was highlighted that he had a health condition, a symptom of which was that he required the toilet frequently.

Minutes from the meeting confirmed that the taxi driver had been licensed with Middlesbrough Council since January 2017 and was appearing in front of the committee “as a result of an incident on November 7, 2024 which raised concerns regarding his suitability as a licensed driver”.

The committee heard that Stockton’s Trading Standards Team notified Middlesbrough’s Licensing department that a driver was seen urinating at the side of a private hire vehicle in Stockton High Street. CCTV footage showed that the incident took place at approximately 03:52. The driver’s identity was later confirmed. 

When interviewed over the phone on November 22, 2024, “the driver admitted to the incident and explained he had been ‘caught short’ and took medication for a health condition, a symptom of which was requiring the toilet more frequently. A check of the driver’s most recent medical report confirmed this”, minutes detailed. 

The committee heard that the driver in question had paid the fine that had been given to him and he confirmed that the report was an accurate reflection of the facts, prior to addressing the committee in support of his case. Following deliberation, it was decided that the man would retain his private hire vehicle driver license but would also receive a warning regarding his future conduct. 

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Further details regarding the reasoning for the decision reached by the committee explained that the driver had “informed officers that he was type two diabetic and a symptom of this condition was that he must use the toilet every couple of hours. The driver stated he was worried he would soil himself should he travel to a toilet, but that he did check to ensure nobody could see him. The driver was unaware he had been captured on CCTV.” The driver considered the incident an “emergency type” situation and the committee noted this mitigation.

The driver was reminded of the Code of Conduct, which includes the expectation that drivers will not urinate in public. The committee believed that a warning “was appropriate to educate the driver that this behaviour would not be tolerated”.