POLICE are appealing for witnesses after two taxi drivers were assaulted on two separate occasions in Skipton.

Both incidents happened at Skipton Bus Station in the early evening, or late at night, and both saw taxi drivers being attacked while they were sitting in their vehicles.

The most recent happened at around 6.10pm on Thursday, November 11, when the town centre would have been busy, and is believed to have been connected to an earlier collision between two cars in nearby Craven Street.

The driver of a silver Ford Tourneo taxi, a local man aged in early 40s, reported to the police that he had been assaulted while inside his vehicle during an argument between two other men in the car park.

A police spokesperson said: “It is believed this altercation, and the subsequent assault on the taxi driver, was connected to a damage-only collision between a silver Audi A3 and a blue VW Passat at the traffic lights outside Tesco on Craven Road at 5pm.

“Police were also called to that incident and the drivers eventually exchanged insurance details. The driver of the Audi, an 18-year-old man from Skipton, was reported for driving without due care and attention and careless driving.” Enquiries are ongoing.

On Saturday, September 11, again in the bus station, police received reports of an assault on a taxi driver at just after 2.30am.

It allegedly involved a group of five boys, all aged around 15 years old, who attempted to get into the taxi.

The taxi driver, who is aged in his late 30s and from Bradford, was hit in the neck and face causing bruising.

Police have so far been unable to trace the youths, but believe they are not from Skipton but possibly from the Colne area .

The chairman of Craven District Council’s Licensing Committee, which earlier this year agreed all taxis will have to be fitted with CCTV cameras by the start of next year, for the safety of both drivers and passengers, said the attacks were unacceptable and that cameras could have acted as a deterrent and provided police with vital information.

Cllr Simon Myers said: “Two assaults on taxi drivers in Skipton in the last two months is two too many and is sickening. Taxi drivers play a very important role in the lives of many elderly and vulnerable people and of course in the night time economy.

“Craven District Council and it’s Licensing Committee will do all we can to protect them and the travelling public."

In connection with the alleged incident with the youths, he added: “The fact that there appear to have been no witnesses and there was no CCTV may mean that the culprits escape without consequences any punishment for a very serious matter.

“One can’t help but think that CCTV might have helped as a deterrent in these cases and could have provided real evidence to assist the police in identifying the perpetrators of these crimes.”

Anyone with any information to either of the assaults is asked to call police on the non-emergency 101 number, select option one and ask to speak to the force control room, or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Reference number for the September 11 incident is 12210199575, and for the November 11 incident 12210239834.