Smoking Cabbies Fined £150
09:00 - 11 December 2007

Three taxi drivers caught smoking in their cabs have been fined a total of £150.

The drivers, two from Cheltenham and one from Gloucester, were reprimanded last month and fined £50 each.

They are the first in the county to be caught by eagle eyed environmental health officers.

Tim Dowan, liaison officer for Smokefree Gloucestershire, says the fines are among the first in the country to be dished out.

"It is not something that we take lightly, and we have provided lots of information and support for taxi companies to make sure they are familiar with the requirements under the new laws," he said.

"We hope that these fines will serve as a warning and deterrent to other people and we hope Gloucestershire can maintain its near-perfect smoke free record."

The new laws mean drivers must park and get out of their cars to smoke because a taxi counts as a public space.

Dave Hemmings, chairman of the Cheltenham Hackney Drivers' Association, has no sympathy for the drivers caught.

He said they had ample warning that the laws were coming in and information on how they would be applied.