Bamber Bridge cabbie banned for smoking (From Preston and Leyland Citizen)

Bamber Bridge cabbie banned for smoking

5:39pm Thursday 4th December 2008 in News

A Bamber Bridge cabbie who escaped prosecution for smoking has been banned from driving.

Peter Cowley, from Hopwood Street pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol when he appeared at South Ribble Magistrates’ Court last Thursday.

The 54-year-old was immediately banned from driving ahead of a sentence hearing.

He was arrested on Saturday, November 15, after the Skoda Octavia he was driving collided with a green Rover in St Mary’s Road, Bamber Bridge.

The occupants of the Rover were taken to Royal Preston Hospital suffering from minor injuries and were discharged on the same day.

Cowley, who works for Millers Taxis in Preston, is also accused of having no insurance or MOT certificate.

However, he was granted an extra seven days to produce the documents as the car he was driving did not belong to him.

Last month, Cowley shot to fame when he became the first person in the county to successfully defend himself against the charge of flouting the smoking ban in his private hire cab.

He was charged after he refused to pay a £50 fine for allegedly smoking in his taxi in the taxi rank at the Tesco supermarket in Towngate, Leyland.

He was due to appear at South Ribble Magistrates’ Court for sentencing today.