A TAXI driver was seriously injured and is now being treated in hospital after an assault.

The driver, from Colchester, is said to have driven from the town centre’s High Street to Ipswich during the early hours of Sunday. 

After arriving in the area the man, in his 40s, was attacked shortly before 3.45am before being spotted by a member of the public.

He was taken to hospital with a serious head injury and is now in a stable condition.

Suffolk Police were called to Tower Mill Road, in Ipswich, at about 3.45am on Sunday after receiving a call from a concerned member of the public.

Officers were informed a man in his 40s, who is a black cab driver in Colchester, had been attacked and was in need of medical intervention.

The victim had sustained a serious head injury during the assault after driving his Volkswagen Touran from Colchester to Ipswich.

He is believed to have made the trip after picking up passengers from the town centre’s taxi rank, in the High Street.

The taxi driver was subsequently taken to Ipswich Hospital before being transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital where he currently remains in a stable condition.

Suffolk Police officers have now charged a 19-year-old man named Jack Powell with robbery and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Powell, of Lattice Avenue, Ipswich, appeared before Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on Monday where he was bailed to appear at Ipswich Crown Court December 6.

Echo: Colchester's High Street taxi rankColchester's High Street taxi rank

Solma Ahmed is a housing practitioner who is part of the Labour Women’s Committee and a member of the Momentum National Co-ordinating Group.

The latest incident comes after a taxi driver was previously attacked in Colchester in 2018 by a passenger.

He threw a punch at the driver and stole his keys before returning to continue the assault.

Paul Dundas, leader of Colchester Council, said: "From a council point of view we will always work with taxi drivers in order to maximum their safety and the safety of passengers.”