Ghulam Hussain, of Midland Road, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to charges of unlawfully plying for hire and having no insurance at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court.

Hussain received six penalty points, a fine of £200 and was also ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge fee and a percentage of costs totalling £100.

Unlike London-style Hackney cabs, private hire cars must be pre-booked through the company’s operator and not ply for business on the city’s streets.

If they do so, they invalidate their insurance.

A joint operation between Peterborough City Council’s taxi enforcement team and Cambridgeshire Constabulary caught Hussain doing exactly that in Broadway, Peterborough, in November last year.

Plain clothed officers approached Hussain’s vehicle in Broadway at 9.35pm on Saturday, November 9, and he agreed to take them to a local hotel.

The city council’s principal taxi enforcement officer Ken Gray said: “This was an important undercover operation carried out by the city council and the police, and I welcome the result.

“The public’s safety is paramount, and they need to understand the dangers of getting into a private hire car in circumstances such as this.

“By getting into a private hire vehicle without a booking, its insurance may be invalid, which in the event of an accident could leave a passenger without protection. In addition, from a personal safety point of view, there is no record of who picked them up.

“It is extremely important for people to understand the difference between private hire cars and Hackney cabs. We will continue to crack down on any drivers who flout the law.” Mr Gray said.