Young yobs creating no-go area for taxis

Thugs are pelting cabs with stones

Worried taxi drivers are avoiding a busy community hub after teen yobs repeatedly pelted cars with stones.

Renfrewshire Cab Company insist they may be forced to withdraw services close to the Tannahill Centre, in Ferguslie Park, if youngsters continue to hurl missiles at passing motors.

Company bosses have urged locals to help put a stop to the potentially dangerous antics and called on parents to deal with it.

Hannah McCulloch, manager at Renfrewshire Cab Company, said: “We watched recently with interest as McGills cancelled late services to Foxbar due to stone throwing in the area damaging buses.

“We did this in the knowledge that over the past few weeks our drivers have reported similar issues in the Blackstoun Road/Tannahill Centre area, with eggs and stones being thrown at cars.

“We had hoped that this would be a phase that would pass, however, last night we went public via social media to call on the local community to assist.

“This latest incident has seen one of our drivers left with a repair bill of more than £200 and the feedback we are getting is that drivers are now becoming unwilling to cover work in the area, or indeed use Ferguslie Park Avenue or Blackstoun Road as a route to elsewhere.

“The knock on of this is that the good people of Ferguslie may have a longer wait than usual and those who are normally taken home via that route may see increased fares as drivers avoid it.

“We would wholeheartedly urge the local community to come together as they always do to help us eradicate this problem.”

Earlier this month, McGill’s buses withdrew night time services through Foxbar over similar issues.

The Tannahill Centre, in Blackstoun Road, acts as a community hub with various groups meeting there throughout the week.

Councillor Mags MacLaren, who represents the Paisley Northwest ward, called on the local community to help identify the people responsible for the Tannahill violence.

She said: “Incidents of throwing stones at cars and buses seem to be increasing all across Paisley these days, but someone must know who is doing this. If they can’t talk to the police about it, they can contact Crimestoppers or myself and I will make sure the police are informed.

“These incidents need to be stopped before a serious accident happens.

“Throwing stones at cars and buses will lead to services being cut to local communities, with bus and taxi drivers refusing to work certain areas – and who could blame them?”

She added: “This will impact on the wider community, especially those who rely heavily on buses and taxis and could lead to increased isolation for many elderly and disabled people.

“The initial reports seem to indicate that this is being carried out by younger children. It’s really up to their parents to make sure they are aware of what their children are doing.

“I will be contacting the police and the council’s community safety team to ensure more support is given to this area, but the best solution is for the local community to rally round and identify those who are causing the problem.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We have received reports of two taxis being hit by youths throwing stones in the area around 6pm on Monday night.

“We believe the youths involved are aged 13 or 14. We are working hard to identify them and, when we do, we will be speaking to their parents.

“If you have any information, call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”

This needs to be stopped before a serious accident happens