Wife calls for taxi driver safety

A violent attack on a Hampshire cab driver has led to calls for better security from his family.

Derek Fletcher, from Scholing, Southampton, was throttled and set on fire in his cab by a customer while on a country road near Eastleigh in May.

His wife Jenni Fletcher is now backing plans to register all passengers to prevent more attacks on drivers.

The Licensed Private Hire Car Association wants to create a database of taxi and private hire customers.

The group's chairman, Steve Wright, said: "We are looking at ways to register customers so they can identify themselves to the driver using a phone number or PIN.

"Safe travel works for drivers as well as passengers."

'Miraculous' recovery

Mrs Fletcher described her husband's recovery so far as 'miraculous', but said he was unlikely to return to work at Eastleigh Happy Cabs after his ordeal.

She said: "I don't think that Derek will ever want to sit in the car with someone behind him ever again.

"He doesn't want anybody else to go through what he went through, and maybe not survive."

The 52-year-old driver has had skin graft operations and is still being treated as an outpatient at a burns unit in Wiltshire.

His attacker has not been caught.