A minicab driver from Reigate has been fined £150 and ordered to pay £350 costs after being caught without a licence.

Gordon Urquhart, of Ironsbottom Road, Sidlow, pleaded guilty at Redhill magistrates to driving a private hire vehicle without a valid private hire driver's licence after being stopped in a routine check.

The 64-year-old applied to renew his licence in February 2005 but was turned down after failing to meet medical requirements.

Following the routine check in June, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council's licensing team discovered Mr Urquhart had provided his employer with a forged licence showing an expiry date of February 2008.

Leisure councillor Tom Stoddart said: "The council has a regulatory duty to protect the interests of the travelling public by ensuring that all of the borough's taxi and private hire drivers are fit and proper to hold a licence.

"The medical standard applied by the council is far more stringent than that applied to the general public and reflects the higher risk caused by the length of time the driver may spend behind the wheel in the course of their occupation."

The council has urged anyone with information or concerns about unlicensed drivers to contact the licensing officer on 01737 276000.