Exeter taxi driver's 'Jihad' plate withdrawn

Bosses at an Exeter taxi firm have apologised after one of their drivers was spotted driving around with the number plate J11 HAD.

The cabbie has now been taken off the road until a new registration is sorted.

In a statement, Apple Taxis said: "We would like to apologise for any offence that one of our driver's may have caused by having a personalised number plate - J11 HAD.

"Our driver JAHED - did not take into account that this would be somehow interpreted as JIHAD and is currently changing it back to its original plate number.

"Jahed is probably one of our nicest taxi drivers and is currently off work until this is changed - sorry."

Apple was formed a year ago when two major Exeter taxi companies, Gemini and Capital Taxis, were merged into one firm after they were bought out.

Gemini, which operated more than 100 cars out of its South Street headquarters, and Capital, which had 90 cars based at St David’s Station, were taken over by North Devon’s Apple Central Taxis, which at the time ran around 220 cars out of Weston-super-Mare.