Cabbie Yasin Mohammadi (34), of Crown Street, Peterborough, was snared in an undercover operation launched by Peterborough City Council and the police.

Under the terms of their licences and insurance, private hire drivers are only allowed to pick up pre-booked passenger.

but Mohammadi offered a lift to two plain-clothes officers in Bourges Boulevard, Peterborough Magistrates’ Court heard.

He was ordered to pay £120 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to unlawfully plying for hire, having no insurance and failing to wear his private hire badge.

City council licensing enforcement officer Ken Gray said: “If a private hire car picks up a passenger without a pre-booking, it invalidates the vehicle’s insurance.

“If a member of the public gets into a private hire vehicle without a prior booking, no one has any record of where they’re going or which vehicle or driver picked them up, and this obviously raises important personal safety issues.

“Taxi enforcement officers closely monitor the trade to protect the interests and safety of passengers, and will not hesitate to prosecute any private hire driver found unlawfully plying for hire.”