Leeds police stop more than 40 private hire vehicles for poor parking in Headingley during Otley Run

Police and Leeds City Council’s taxi licencing team carried out a joint operation in Far Headingley. The day of action was in response to concerns raised by the community.

Residents have complained of large numbers of private hire vehicles dropping off revellers participating in the Otley Run, stopping in unsuitable locations and causing obstructions. The infamous 15-stop bar crawl has become something of a rite of passage for students in the city, who don their best fancy-dress and tackle the pubs and bars that stretch from Headingley and into the city centre.

Officers from the Inner Leeds North West Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) and the council patrolled the area on Saturday May 13. They stopped more than 40 private hire vehicles and drivers were advised to park elsewhere. One private hire licence was suspended.

It follows a crackdown on street drinking and anti-social behaviour linked to the Otley Run last month. A Public Spaces Protection order (PSPO) covering the Headingley area bans drinking alcohol or taking drugs in public, as well as street parties, and police ordered 10 people to dispose of alcohol being consumed on the street. A large number of private hire vehicles were also directed to move after causing an obstruction in the Otley Road area.

Earlier this year, a Leeds councillor called for more resources to crack down on unruly behaviour on the Otley Run, claiming that police are “reluctant” to arrest anti-social drinkers on the pub crawl because they have so few officers on duty.