A TAXI firm owner has been ordered to pay £4,500 after being found guilty of allowing his drivers to drive without insurance. Sayed Jamirani, 42, owner of Stevenage Taxis, was convicted at Stevenage Magistrates Court last week. Mr Jamirani did have a fle

A TAXI firm owner has been ordered to pay £4,500 after being found guilty of allowing his drivers to drive without insurance.

Sayed Jamirani, 42, owner of Stevenage Taxis, was convicted at Stevenage Magistrates' Court last week.

Mr Jamirani did have a fleet insurance policy covering his vehicles, but three of his drivers did not hold the valid private hire driver's licence required by the law and the insurance policy was therefore invalid.

Stevenage Borough Council prosecuted Mr Jamirani after discovering one driver whose licence had expired in 2003 and two more who had never held private hire driver's licences from the council.

Mr Jamirani was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £3,000 costs.

However, he was found not guilty of knowingly permitting unlicensed drivers to work for him.

Although he had not taken steps to visually check their licences, he did not knowingly permit them to work for him because the drivers told him that they were licensed.