A cabbie today slammed police after they let off an armed fare dodger who he confronted in a dark street.

Mitchell Hill, 28, has been driving taxis in Rayleigh for eight years and said he has faced his fair share of drunks and yobs.

However, he admitted to being scared when faced with a thug armed with a snooker ball in a sock who had run off without paying his full fare.

Disbelief - cabbie Mitchell Hill is disgusted with the police Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL

Mr Hill, of London Road, Hadleigh, who works for RT Taxis in Rayleigh, said: "You get drunks who don't want to pay, people who kick the car when you stop outside the nightclubs and all sorts of other trouble. It is not a nice job at night. As soon as these two guys got into the back of the car I knew there was something wrong about them.

"When I dropped them off I told them the fare was £5.80 and they only gave me £2.

"I probably would have left it, but they started swearing at me so I chased after them.

"I eventually cornered one as he was hiding behind a van.

"Luckily the police turned up and he was arrested, but it really hit home how dangerous it could have been when the police told me they had found a snooker ball in a sock on this guy."

He added: "I wasn't at all impressed to hear he had been released without charge."

An Essex Police spokesman said: "We take all such cases very seriously.

"But as the law stands at the moment, we were only able to give the man a caution because of his age and previous record.

"Although he had the snooker ball in a sock it doesn't appear as though the driver was threatened with it in any way."

Published Monday, January 13, 2003

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