A MULTI- agency operation took place at Exeter Airport on Friday, June12 to check that taxi and private hire vehicles were being operated lawfully and were complying with conditions set by local authorities.

A MULTI- agency operation took place at Exeter Airport on Friday, June12 to check that taxi and private hire vehicles were being operated lawfully and were complying with conditions set by local authorities.

Licensing officers from East Devon District Council, together with their counterparts from Exeter City Council, as well as officers from Customs and Excise, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, took part in the operation - with very positive results.

Over 30 vehicles were checked at the airport from various taxi and private hire businesses. These were mainly from the Exeter and East Devon area but vehicles from Newton Abbot, Sherborne, Torbay, Plymouth and Penzance were also inspected by the team.

All the vehicles bar one were found to be lawfully run, with only a small breach of local conditions on two of them. No action was taken on these two but the drivers were given some advice.

One vehicle from out of the East Devon area was found to be unlicensed. As a result, the driver was given advice, and the passengers he had come to collect were taken home by another company, at his expense.

East Devon Licensing officer Dougie Jackson, who led the multi-agency team, was very pleased with the standard of the vehicles and drivers that were checked at the airport, and said "It was good to see the high level of professionalism amongst the drivers. In carrying out this operation we had the full support of the airport authorities, who are keen to see that the airport is not brought into disrepute.

"Further random checks will be conducted on drivers and vehicles in order to ensure standards are maintained.