Rickshaw drivers fined more than £1,000 for blasting out music in West End

By Hannah Neary, Local Democracy Reporter

Three noisy pedicab drivers have been fined more than £1,200 for blasting music and annoying locals in the West End.

It comes amid a crackdown by Westminster City Council and the Metropolitan Police on noise, traffic and disturbance caused by the vehicles, also known as rickshaws.

The riders were prosecuted and fined a total of £1,273 on April 6 at City of London Magistrates Court under the Control of Pollution Act 1974.

The fines issued were more than double the value of previous ones given out for similar offences earlier this year.

In a statement, the council said: “Fines, costs, and victim surcharges totalling £1,273 were issued to three individuals after they were found to have played excessively loud music late at night disturbing residents and businesses and having a negative impact on the health and well-being of residents, businesses, and visitors.”

The Tory-led council says it will continue to target areas most-affected by “nuisance” drivers, like Covent Garden, Soho, Leicester Square, Chinatown, and Mayfair.

Pictured top: A Rickshaw