"Jousting" taxi stopped by police in road crackdown

8:05am Wednesday 24th October 2012 in News By Gina Marden

"Jousting" taxi stopped by police in road crackdown "Jousting" taxi stopped by police in road crackdown

THIS was the moment a woman was snared by police in what appeared to be a modern-day version of jousting.


But the woman was not taking part in the medieval sport, instead she was caught dangerously holding a massive pole out of a taxi window as she tried to transport the stair bannister home.


Police caught the taxi with its precarious load as they carried out a road safety crackdown - codenamed Operation Calypso - in Basildon.
Traffic cops, stationed in Felmores at the junction with East Mayne, carried out stop checks as they attempted to crack down on motorists flouting the law by speeding, not wearing seatbelts, using mobile phones and a series of other motoring offences.


During the crackdown on Tuesday officers pulled over 194 vehicles and found 62 had no MOT test certificates, 52 motorists were not wearing a seatbelt and 23 were snared using mobile phones.


Police also found 15 vehicles had illegal window tints, which they were made to peel off.


But officers got the greatest shock when they spotted the taxi travelling along East Mayne.


The female passenger sat in the back was holding her six foot long bannister pole out of the window, oblivious of the danger she was causing to other motorists.


Police pulled over the black cab and fined the driver £60 for having an insecure load. He was also given three penalty points on his licence.
 

Comments (23)

8:24am Wed 24 Oct 12

SpiffSpaffington1984 says...

"six foot long bannister pole" 6 foot? that is a fair bit longer than 6 foot, its longer than the taxi
"six foot long bannister pole" 6 foot? that is a fair bit longer than 6 foot, its longer than the taxi SpiffSpaffington1984

9:22am Wed 24 Oct 12

Major Incident says...

Reporter Gina Marden strikes again!! It's a ten foot bannister (BBC give an accurate report - something beyond the Echo's abilities).

Was the taxi on hire or was it being used as the "family" car? A London black cab taking a fare to Basildon carrying a pole like that is frightening!
Reporter Gina Marden strikes again!! It's a ten foot bannister (BBC give an accurate report - something beyond the Echo's abilities). Was the taxi on hire or was it being used as the "family" car? A London black cab taking a fare to Basildon carrying a pole like that is frightening! Major Incident

10:17am Wed 24 Oct 12

DogsMessInLeigh says...

Dumbarses, but funny.
Dumbarses, but funny. DogsMessInLeigh

10:33am Wed 24 Oct 12

Barry Bas says...

Reminds me of the following joke.

I was at the Olympics and I saw a guy carrying a really long pole. I said to him "Are you a pole vaulter?" and he replied "No I am German but how did you know my name was Walter"
Reminds me of the following joke. I was at the Olympics and I saw a guy carrying a really long pole. I said to him "Are you a pole vaulter?" and he replied "No I am German but how did you know my name was Walter" Barry Bas

10:44am Wed 24 Oct 12

Eric Whim says...

how much weed did they confiscate?
how much weed did they confiscate? Eric Whim

10:58am Wed 24 Oct 12

pendulum says...

"but the greatest shock.."

Was that really a great shock?
Especially for a police officer?
I'm not a police officer, and I certainly would not claim to be shocked.

Great shock, or sensationalist overexaggeration?
"but the greatest shock.." Was that really a great shock? Especially for a police officer? I'm not a police officer, and I certainly would not claim to be shocked. Great shock, or sensationalist overexaggeration? pendulum

11:11am Wed 24 Oct 12

Dids says...

whats more frightning is 62 out of 194 vehicles had no MOT which also means their insurance if they had any was invalid
whats more frightning is 62 out of 194 vehicles had no MOT which also means their insurance if they had any was invalid Dids

11:12am Wed 24 Oct 12

Eric Whim says...

pendulum wrote:
"but the greatest shock.."

Was that really a great shock?
Especially for a police officer?
I'm not a police officer, and I certainly would not claim to be shocked.

Great shock, or sensationalist overexaggeration?
they probably all had a good laugh about it after they'd finished processing the paperwork and sent them on their way
[quote][p][bold]pendulum[/bold] wrote: "but the greatest shock.." Was that really a great shock? Especially for a police officer? I'm not a police officer, and I certainly would not claim to be shocked. Great shock, or sensationalist overexaggeration?[/p][/quote]they probably all had a good laugh about it after they'd finished processing the paperwork and sent them on their way Eric Whim

12:53pm Wed 24 Oct 12

rjsizzler says...

SpiffSpaffington1984 wrote:
"six foot long bannister pole" 6 foot? that is a fair bit longer than 6 foot, its longer than the taxi
The picture may be deceiving - maybe it's a mini-cab.
[quote][p][bold]SpiffSpaffington1984[/bold] wrote: "six foot long bannister pole" 6 foot? that is a fair bit longer than 6 foot, its longer than the taxi[/p][/quote]The picture may be deceiving - maybe it's a mini-cab. rjsizzler

12:54pm Wed 24 Oct 12

Basildon.lad.21 says...

I went past this on Saturday. There was loads of police there. Its funny that you get this much police here for pulling people over, but you would never get this much amount of police officers if they was called to a murder. Just goes to show all what they care about nowadays is motorists, because their easy targets.
I went past this on Saturday. There was loads of police there. Its funny that you get this much police here for pulling people over, but you would never get this much amount of police officers if they was called to a murder. Just goes to show all what they care about nowadays is motorists, because their easy targets. Basildon.lad.21

1:27pm Wed 24 Oct 12

IamShaw says...

Dids wrote:
whats more frightning is 62 out of 194 vehicles had no MOT which also means their insurance if they had any was invalid
I think that depends on the insurance company. I believe that MOT or no MOT, your insured for the vehicle...?

I often wonder what goes through peoples minds when they think it's a good idea..
[quote][p][bold]Dids[/bold] wrote: whats more frightning is 62 out of 194 vehicles had no MOT which also means their insurance if they had any was invalid[/p][/quote]I think that depends on the insurance company. I believe that MOT or no MOT, your insured for the vehicle...? I often wonder what goes through peoples minds when they think it's a good idea.. IamShaw

2:00pm Wed 24 Oct 12

rjsizzler says...

IamShaw wrote:
Dids wrote: whats more frightning is 62 out of 194 vehicles had no MOT which also means their insurance if they had any was invalid
I think that depends on the insurance company. I believe that MOT or no MOT, your insured for the vehicle...? I often wonder what goes through peoples minds when they think it's a good idea..
I didn't know that, but you're right. On Parkers website it says:

"Driving without an MOT won't always make your insurance invalid. In most instances the insurers will still pay out in full - and if your car is stolen, or damaged, the payout will usually only be reduced to reflect the value of the car without a current MOT.

However, some policies state in the small print that an MOT must be in force. Only in instances where the vehicle has a fault which contributed to, or caused the accident, can the claim be rejected. Driving without an MOT does carry a potentially hefty fine though."

You learn something every day!
[quote][p][bold]IamShaw[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]Dids[/bold] wrote: whats more frightning is 62 out of 194 vehicles had no MOT which also means their insurance if they had any was invalid[/p][/quote]I think that depends on the insurance company. I believe that MOT or no MOT, your insured for the vehicle...? I often wonder what goes through peoples minds when they think it's a good idea..[/p][/quote]I didn't know that, but you're right. On Parkers website it says: "Driving without an MOT won't always make your insurance invalid. In most instances the insurers will still pay out in full - and if your car is stolen, or damaged, the payout will usually only be reduced to reflect the value of the car without a current MOT. However, some policies state in the small print that an MOT must be in force. Only in instances where the vehicle has a fault which contributed to, or caused the accident, can the claim be rejected. Driving without an MOT does carry a potentially hefty fine though." You learn something every day! rjsizzler

2:17pm Wed 24 Oct 12

Shoebury_Cyclist says...

Wonder how many people would drive without MOTs or insurance if the penalty for any road infraction was a £1000 fine and the vehicle confiscated and crushed?
Wonder how many people would drive without MOTs or insurance if the penalty for any road infraction was a £1000 fine and the vehicle confiscated and crushed? Shoebury_Cyclist

2:18pm Wed 24 Oct 12

Major Incident says...

Basildon.lad.21 wrote:
I went past this on Saturday. There was loads of police there. Its funny that you get this much police here for pulling people over, but you would never get this much amount of police officers if they was called to a murder. Just goes to show all what they care about nowadays is motorists, because their easy targets.
There'd be more officers if it was a murder.....all that overtime up for grabs!

Incidentally murderers, rapists, robbers and burglars all tend to drive and ofetn get caught out in checks like these. Peter Sutcliffe the Yorkshire Ripper was arrested for his crimes during a traffic check because his car's number plates didn't look right....then they found the murder weapon.
[quote][p][bold]Basildon.lad.21[/bold] wrote: I went past this on Saturday. There was loads of police there. Its funny that you get this much police here for pulling people over, but you would never get this much amount of police officers if they was called to a murder. Just goes to show all what they care about nowadays is motorists, because their easy targets.[/p][/quote]There'd be more officers if it was a murder.....all that overtime up for grabs! Incidentally murderers, rapists, robbers and burglars all tend to drive and ofetn get caught out in checks like these. Peter Sutcliffe the Yorkshire Ripper was arrested for his crimes during a traffic check because his car's number plates didn't look right....then they found the murder weapon. Major Incident

2:23pm Wed 24 Oct 12

nicknows says...

This is the second mass stop of vehicles in the Basildon area where nearly a 1/3 of vehicles were found to have no MOT.

I would hope that if a car with full comp insurance but no MOT was involved in an accident that the insurance would cover damage to the other persons car and any injuries but not to the car without an MOT. After all the accident must be their fault as they should not have been on the road at the time of the accident!!!!
This is the second mass stop of vehicles in the Basildon area where nearly a 1/3 of vehicles were found to have no MOT. I would hope that if a car with full comp insurance but no MOT was involved in an accident that the insurance would cover damage to the other persons car and any injuries but not to the car without an MOT. After all the accident must be their fault as they should not have been on the road at the time of the accident!!!! nicknows

3:24pm Wed 24 Oct 12

perini says...

nicknows wrote:
This is the second mass stop of vehicles in the Basildon area where nearly a 1/3 of vehicles were found to have no MOT. I would hope that if a car with full comp insurance but no MOT was involved in an accident that the insurance would cover damage to the other persons car and any injuries but not to the car without an MOT. After all the accident must be their fault as they should not have been on the road at the time of the accident!!!!
The MOT only states that a vehicle is legally roadworthy at the time of that test. Your car could be unroadworthy at present but as you (presumably) have an MOT are not aware of it! How you can say that a driver of a car hit by a drugged up driver for instance, is responsible because the car hit didn't have an MOT is rubbish. It could be that that car was more roadworthy without an MOT than the car that hit him - he might have been on the way to a pre booked MOT appointment, in which case he is totally legal!
[quote][p][bold]nicknows[/bold] wrote: This is the second mass stop of vehicles in the Basildon area where nearly a 1/3 of vehicles were found to have no MOT. I would hope that if a car with full comp insurance but no MOT was involved in an accident that the insurance would cover damage to the other persons car and any injuries but not to the car without an MOT. After all the accident must be their fault as they should not have been on the road at the time of the accident!!!![/p][/quote]The MOT only states that a vehicle is legally roadworthy at the time of that test. Your car could be unroadworthy at present but as you (presumably) have an MOT are not aware of it! How you can say that a driver of a car hit by a drugged up driver for instance, is responsible because the car hit didn't have an MOT is rubbish. It could be that that car was more roadworthy without an MOT than the car that hit him - he might have been on the way to a pre booked MOT appointment, in which case he is totally legal! perini

3:25pm Wed 24 Oct 12

perini says...

If that's a 6 foot pole then that copper can only be 2 foot tall max!
If that's a 6 foot pole then that copper can only be 2 foot tall max! perini

3:28pm Wed 24 Oct 12

notinwestcliffanymore says...

Shame they weren t doing this crack down at 14.50 on cranes farm road roundabout next to mc ds, they would have caught a plank of a plod weaving and shaking his focus estate all over the roundabout while his female colleague was trying to send a text or something.
Shame they weren t doing this crack down at 14.50 on cranes farm road roundabout next to mc ds, they would have caught a plank of a plod weaving and shaking his focus estate all over the roundabout while his female colleague was trying to send a text or something. notinwestcliffanymore

3:38pm Wed 24 Oct 12

bob7 says...

Maybe it's time we had a secondary police force set up just to do random road side checks like this. Seems that with the number of drivers committing offences they would be busy. Take the cars away from them as well.
Maybe it's time we had a secondary police force set up just to do random road side checks like this. Seems that with the number of drivers committing offences they would be busy. Take the cars away from them as well. bob7

6:39pm Wed 24 Oct 12

Minceir. says...

From the look of it this was a decommissioned black cab. Anyway, before being stopped, the lady pole dancer had been carrying it in a vertical orientation so it was causing no danger to anyone.
From the look of it this was a decommissioned black cab. Anyway, before being stopped, the lady pole dancer had been carrying it in a vertical orientation so it was causing no danger to anyone. Minceir.

8:23pm Wed 24 Oct 12

Basildon.lad.21 says...

bob7 wrote:
Maybe it's time we had a secondary police force set up just to do random road side checks like this. Seems that with the number of drivers committing offences they would be busy. Take the cars away from them as well.
Yeah I commit driving offences everyday. But I dont get caught. Well I have only once out the thousands of days of driving. Not bad going is it.
[quote][p][bold]bob7[/bold] wrote: Maybe it's time we had a secondary police force set up just to do random road side checks like this. Seems that with the number of drivers committing offences they would be busy. Take the cars away from them as well.[/p][/quote]Yeah I commit driving offences everyday. But I dont get caught. Well I have only once out the thousands of days of driving. Not bad going is it. Basildon.lad.21

9:42pm Wed 24 Oct 12

DogsMessInLeigh says...

perini wrote:
If that's a 6 foot pole then that copper can only be 2 foot tall max!
so they where east european then..and how did you know the Officer was called Max..?
[quote][p][bold]perini[/bold] wrote: If that's a 6 foot pole then that copper can only be 2 foot tall max![/p][/quote]so they where east european then..and how did you know the Officer was called Max..? DogsMessInLeigh

10:25am Fri 26 Oct 12

PJR-121 says...

perini wrote:
nicknows wrote: This is the second mass stop of vehicles in the Basildon area where nearly a 1/3 of vehicles were found to have no MOT. I would hope that if a car with full comp insurance but no MOT was involved in an accident that the insurance would cover damage to the other persons car and any injuries but not to the car without an MOT. After all the accident must be their fault as they should not have been on the road at the time of the accident!!!!
The MOT only states that a vehicle is legally roadworthy at the time of that test. Your car could be unroadworthy at present but as you (presumably) have an MOT are not aware of it! How you can say that a driver of a car hit by a drugged up driver for instance, is responsible because the car hit didn't have an MOT is rubbish. It could be that that car was more roadworthy without an MOT than the car that hit him - he might have been on the way to a pre booked MOT appointment, in which case he is totally legal!
Very true, and in addition, and something many people surprisingly don't know, is that the MOT is only a CHECK.

There is no servicing done - if something is found to be borderline, it won't be fixed, but an advisory will be issued. Brake pads, for example, wear with use. They may be just ok for the test, but wear massively afterward.

My Escort had an MOT, but I still had to replace the brake pad 3 months before its next one was due. And the lower wishbone needed replacing which meant the tyres were wearing very badly - but it had an MOT because at the time of the test, the tyres were fine, with plenty of tread...
[quote][p][bold]perini[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]nicknows[/bold] wrote: This is the second mass stop of vehicles in the Basildon area where nearly a 1/3 of vehicles were found to have no MOT. I would hope that if a car with full comp insurance but no MOT was involved in an accident that the insurance would cover damage to the other persons car and any injuries but not to the car without an MOT. After all the accident must be their fault as they should not have been on the road at the time of the accident!!!![/p][/quote]The MOT only states that a vehicle is legally roadworthy at the time of that test. Your car could be unroadworthy at present but as you (presumably) have an MOT are not aware of it! How you can say that a driver of a car hit by a drugged up driver for instance, is responsible because the car hit didn't have an MOT is rubbish. It could be that that car was more roadworthy without an MOT than the car that hit him - he might have been on the way to a pre booked MOT appointment, in which case he is totally legal![/p][/quote]Very true, and in addition, and something many people surprisingly don't know, is that the MOT is only a CHECK. There is no servicing done - if something is found to be borderline, it won't be fixed, but an advisory will be issued. Brake pads, for example, wear with use. They may be just ok for the test, but wear massively afterward. My Escort had an MOT, but I still had to replace the brake pad 3 months before its next one was due. And the lower wishbone needed replacing which meant the tyres were wearing very badly - but it had an MOT because at the time of the test, the tyres were fine, with plenty of tread... PJR-121

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