49 tickets issued throughout June to illegally parked vehicles in Nottingham taxi ranks

A month of enforcement by Nottingham City Council's licensing team saw 49 Penalty Charge Notices issued to motorists who parked illegally in marked taxi rank bays.

Taxi ranks/bays are only to be occupied by licensed hackney carriage taxi vehicles, and in most cases, unless stated otherwise, the driver must be present with the vehicle, which should not be left unattended.

The general public and even private hire vehicles are not to be parked in marked taxi bays.

Taxi ranks/bays are set up as either designated pick up points for hackney carriages, which are allowed to pick up street hails as members of the public approach the driver, or as "rest ranks" for taxi drivers.

Each location should be clearly signed advising on which kind of taxi bay it is, with any specific regulations clearly stated.

At times members of the general public and even private hire drivers, will be seen parking on a hackney carriage taxi bay illegally.

Such offences stop taxi drivers from gaining access to a working rank, preventing them from earning a living.

Enforcement officers are normally sent on patrol by the council's licensing team to help limit the number of offenders and help keep the ranks free for working taxi drivers.