Fury over cabs chaos

ANGRY residents hit out after strike action by hundreds of cabs brought the Valley to a standstill.

Helmshore pensioner May Horrocks, 87, said the strike had left her ‘trapped’ in her home and unable to get to a special party with friends.

May told the Free Press: “I have been completely stuck. The only way I can get out is by wheelchair taxi and there is only one firm in Rossendale that have one. I had arranged to go out to a little party at Haslingden Cricket Club with my friends - we are all widows and we thought we’d go for a meal together - and I had to cancel it. It’s been very frustrating for me - I have been trapped at home.”

Kayleigh Hamer was angered after claiming that a column of taxis driving through the borough caused her ‘unnecessary stress’.

Kayleigh, who lives in Bacup, said she lost support for the trade’s industrial action after the slowly moving convoy of taxis en route to the licensing meeting at Futures Park on Tuesday, delayed her collecting her four-year- old girl from school.

She said: “I should have picked my daughter up from school at 3.20pm and I was over half an hour late picking her up due to taxis filling the roads. Make a point, but not at school time.

“It was left to the teachers to explain to a four-year-old little girl why mummy’s not there to pick her up.

“Fortunately my daughter wasn’t crying when I made it to the school but this strike has now caused unnecessary stress.”

Taxi boss David Lawrie apologised for the inconvenience but insisted the convoy had not been a ‘go-slow’ protest.

He said: “What we decided to do was have a peaceful and calm convoy. It wasn’t intended to be a slow-drive, and did it at 2pm so that we would miss the morning rush hour and the lunch and hopefully the school rush.

“However, down to traffic lights and roadworks it didn’t work out that way. We never intended to cause disruption but if that was the end result then we sincerely apologise.”