Heathrow taxi drivers banned from loitering in West London streets after ‘pooing in people’s hedges’

London: So, there’s been a bit of a kerfuffle over at Heathrow. The local council has decided to ban taxi and private hire drivers from hanging around in certain neighborhoods. This comes after complaints about some pretty gross behavior, like drivers using people’s gardens as toilets. Yikes!

Residents in areas like Pinkwell and West Drayton are finally getting some relief. No more worrying about drivers loitering and causing a ruckus outside their homes. The council has put a Public Space Protection Order in place, which means drivers can’t park or wait in the streets anymore.

Instead, they’ll have to use designated waiting zones at the airport, which will cost them a little bit but at least they’ll have access to toilets. Sounds fair, right? The council even held a public consultation to hear from both residents and drivers about the new rules.

Some drivers feel like they’re being unfairly targeted, saying it’s not right to punish everyone for the actions of a few. They’ve raised concerns about being treated like they’re all guilty. But with over 9,600 violations reported, it seems the council felt they had to take action.

Councillor Eddie Lavery mentioned they’ll be using camera technology to enforce these rules, so drivers can’t just drive off to avoid penalties. It’s all about keeping the community clean and safe, and honestly, who can argue with that?

So, the ban is set to kick in on February 1, 2025. Let’s hope this helps clean up the streets and makes life a little easier for everyone living nearby!