An Ammanford taxi driver has warned the public to be wary of using unlicensed cabs after Carmarthenshire County Council confirmed officers were investigating claims of illegal private hire cars operating in the town.

The driver, who asked not to be named, said he feared the public were unaware of the dangers of using unlicensed cabs.

“This is not a question of trying to stop someone earning a living or trying to shut down a competitor,” said the driver.

“This is a serious issue – it is about safeguarding customers.

“People using unlicenced cars are putting themselves at risk.

“All taxis operating in the county must be licensed by Carmarthenshire County Council.

“Any taxi operating without a licence will not have the correct insurance required for carrying paying customers.

“If someone was injured in accident while travelling in an unlicenced taxi they would not have the cover they would expect.

“That is a major issue for the public and people need to understand the risks they are taking.”

Robin Staines, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Head of Public Protection and Housing, said: “We can confirm that we are investigating a complaint in the Ammanford area.

“We take all complaints of this nature seriously and investigate where possible. We also carry out unannounced enforcement visits to check that all licensed vehicles and drivers are compliant with conditions and to check that there are no unlicensed vehicles or drivers operating in the area.”