Coronavirus: Bury taxi driver has licence revoked after isolation 'lie'

The driver lied to the council

A taxi driver who continued to work when he should have been self-isolating two days after returning from Pakistan has been stripped of his licence.

The driver, who took 12 jobs in six hours, also lied to a Bury Council officer when challenged about working.

The father-of-five from Bolton, who worked in the Bury area, was told by the council's licensing and safety panel he had "put the public at risk".

He was also fined by Greater Manchester Police for breaching Covid-19 rules.

A complaint was made to Bury's deputy licensing officer that the driver had resumed working after flying back from Pakistan on 13 October.

He should have been self-isolating for 14 days in line with coronavirus travel restrictions, reported The Local Democracy Reporting Service.

When challenged by the council officer, he claimed he had not worked since his return.

But checks with his taxi operator confirmed that he worked on 15 October completing 12 jobs between 17:00 and 22:30 BST.

A panel report said the official asked him why he had lied and he replied that he thought a negative test meant he could work straight away.

'Fit and proper'

He also explained his wife and five children, one of whom was disabled, relied on him to provide for them and pay the mortgage.

The driver - who has not been named - was given a six-month immediate suspension.

The panel found that he "was not a fit and proper person to hold a licence in Bury" and that he "did not realise the seriousness of the public health implications".

Mohammad Sajjad, secretary of Bury's private hire drivers' association, said: "As soon as we got this information we shared it with our members and reminded them of the need to know the rules and stick to the guidelines."