Taxi driver told to remove cross because schoolboy thought it looked ‘phallic’

Clair Cook was told by York Council it should be removed because they had had a complaint from a 15-year-old schoolboy.

But she has branded the complaint ludicrous and said she was appalled that anyone could think it was anything other than a religious ornament.

She also said that if the driver, a devout Roman Catholic who works for her at AnD Taxis in York, had been carrying a symbol of any other religious faith then York Council would have reacted with more caution and investigated fully before any decision was made to ask for it to be removed.

The driver, who did not want to be identified, said he was a Roman Catholic and had bought the cross on holiday on Greece six years ago.

Asked what his reaction was when he heard the complaint, he said: “Incredulity. I couldn’t believe that anyone could think it wasn’t a cross.

“I have taken it off the dashboard as requested because I do not want to lose my licence but I do not think this has been handled properly.”

Ms Cook said the complaint came from a boy who was being taken to school in the taxi, who had also complained about the driver’s driving ability.

She added: “I am personally deeply offended and very sympathetic for the driver.

“Not only is an ornament of this nature a religious one, but the complaint and its implication is a very serious one.

“The safety of the passengers is always my number one priority, however so are my drivers’ reputation and trust.”

Colin Rumford, head of Environmental Health and Trading Standards at York Council, said the wrong advice had been issued over the complaint. He said: “City of York Council takes any complaints raised by members of the public very seriously.

“In this case a complaint was received from a child regarding what they thought was an inappropriate item in a taxi.

“Careful consideration is always taken when any complaints are received and, depending on the nature of the complaint, officers will take relevant action where necessary.

“In this instance, it appears that the taxi operator was wrongly advised to remove the item and our intervention should have been confined to making them aware of the complaint.”