Taxi driver fined for passenger's 10ft wooden pole

A taxi carrying a passenger holding a 10ft (3m) wooden pole has been stopped by police in Essex.

The black cab was one of 194 vehicles pulled over by the force during a road safety campaign in Basildon.



A spokesperson said the method of transport for the length of stair banister was "incredibly dangerous" and risked harming other people. The driver of the taxi was given a £60 fixed penalty notice and three points on his licence.

The police spokesperson said: "The woman could easily have lost her grip on the pole and it could have struck a pedestrian, cyclist or gone through the windscreen of an approaching vehicle on the other side of the road."