Ministers are being urged to push through a crackdown on rogue taxi drivers blighting villages near Heathrow.
Hayes and Harlington MP John McDonnell has raised this issue in the Commons by putting down an Early Day Motion.
It states: “This House expresses its grave concern at the serious problems being experienced by residents in the Heathrow villages as a result of the anti-social behaviour of rogue drivers of private hire vehicles, including physical, verbal and racial abuse and defecating and littering.”
It highlights that Hillingdon Council has launched a consultation on the introduction of a Public Space Protection Order covering the Heathrow villages, West Drayton and Pinkwell wards to address the problems.
The EDM urges the Department for Transport, following the consultation, “to progress swiftly the adoption of this order in order to bring to a speedy halt the suffering local residents in the Heathrow villages have endured”.
Hillingdon Council’s consultation, to tackle the abusive behaviour from private hire car drivers waiting for passengers on flights into Heathrow, is open until November 1.
The town hall stressed: “We are aware that taxis and private hire vehicles often use residential streets to park and wait for passengers arriving at Heathrow Airport. Residents have reported that this behaviour can cause a nuisance and lead to violence, littering and people urinating in public.
“We are considering introducing controls to ban taxis and private hire vehicles on residential streets, whilst they wait to collect passengers arriving from the airport.
“This will be introduced through a new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) which can be used to ban certain behaviours which cause a negative impact in the community. Breaching the order can lead to a fixed penalty notice.”
The order states that a person in charge of a motor vehicle being used as a taxi, private hire vehicle, chauffeur vehicle or any other type of vehicle used for hire will be guilty of an offence if they park and/or wait within the restricted area.
There are three exemptions:
* The driver is either collecting or dropping off a passenger from within the exclusion area.
* The driver lives within the restricted area.
* The business operating the motor vehicle is based within the restricted area and the offence has taken place within the vicinity of the business premises.
A driver who fails “without reasonable excuse” to comply with the order could be fined up to £100.
Spelthorne council has taken similar action.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Everyone who drives to the airport should respect our neighbours. We have dedicated waiting facilities on the airport for taxis and private hire vehicles and we support Hillingdon’s plans to keep local roads clear for residents.”
Home Office guidance states councils issue Public Space Protection Orders after consultation with the police, the local Police and Crime Commissioner (Mayor of London), owners of land in the restricted area and community representatives as they see fit.
