..IN THE NEWS...IN THE NEWS SCHOOL RUN CLITHEROE DRIVER


‘LEFT CHILDREN ALONE IN CAR WHILE PRAYED IN MOSQUE’


A taxi firm is being investigated follow- ing claims a driver left a group of chil- dren alone in a car during a school run while he went to pray in a mosque. According to the Lancashire Tele- graph, a driver for taxi company Tiger Taxis, based in Clitheroe, has been accused of ‘negli- gence’ after a group of children, believed to be between 12 and 14, were left alone in one of the firm’s taxis while the driver was dropping them home from Coal Clough Academy, in Burnley after 1pm on a recent Friday.


Tiger Taxis is con- tracted to provide transport for school children from the Swindon Street acad- emy by Lancashire County Council. The taxi driver is alleged to


have


gone to the mosque after he received a phone call from one of his friends who told him it was “time to go and pray” while the children were being driven home in the taxi. The driver stopped his car near a mosque in Nelson and left the children in the car for 15 min- utes, it has been claimed.


One of the children


in the car, Paul Jack- son Jr, was then 30 minutes late getting to


his home in


Barnoldswick, his father said. Paul Jackson said he was furious after he learnt his 13-year- old son was one of the children left alone in the vehicle. He said: “It’s highly


unacceptable and unsafe to leave chil- dren alone in a car.” He has now called for the driver to be sacked following the incident.


He said: “I want to see an apology from Lancashire County Council and for them to sack the company because


they are responsible for this.” Coal Clough Acade- my, which was contacted about the incident, said the issue has been ‘esca- lated’ to County Hall. A spokesman from Coal Clough Acade- my said: “We have been made aware of the issue and esca- lated it to Lan- cashire County Council who organ- ise transport on our behalf and they are dealing with it in the appropriate way.” Lancashire County Council is now investigating the allegations made by Mr Jackson. A spokesman said: “I


can confirm that we have been made aware of an issue which we are cur- rently investigating.” Burnley Cllr Tony Martin, who repre- sents the area, said the taxi firm should be ‘reprimanded’ if the company and driver are found to be guilty of the alle- gations levelled against them.


He said: “I hope a thorough investiga- tion is taking place and if that is the case make sure they are reprimanded. It’s about the safety of the children, which is paramount.” Tiger Taxis declined to comment.


APRIL 2018


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