Taxi marshals introduced at Telford nightspot
Taxi marshals will be introduced in Telford in a bid to help people get home safely.
Telford &Wrekin Council said the marshals will be brought in at Southwater from today, following a similar scheme outside Pussycats nightclub in Wellington. With Southwater now becoming one of the region's busiest leisure spots, marshals will be on hand from 10pm to 11.30pm on Fridays and from 10pm to midnight on Saturdays.
The marshals will be on hand to guide people to their taxis, whether they are looking for a black cab or locating their pre-booked taxis.
Councillor Richard Overton, cabinet member for housing, public health and protection, said: "We want people to go out in Telford and have a good time.
"We don't want their safety to be compromised by being unable to get home safely.
"The role of the taxi marshal is to point people in the right direction as well as ensuring that taxi drivers are operating properly by picking up the correct passengers."
The taxi rank for black cabs is behind Southwater One and Cineworld.
The pick-up and drop-off point for pre-booked private hire taxis is at the entrance to the town park between the ice rink and Telford International Centre.
Initially, the scheme will be trialled until September 26. Should it prove successful marshals will continue until the end of March, when it will be further reviewed.
This comes after police stepped up their patrols in the area last month. Officers as part of a dedicated patrol have been sent out in Oakengates, Newport and Wellington. They will be out again this weekend, mainly focusing on Wellington.
