A TAXI driver had his licence revoked after he told a member of council staff "your voice is ugly, just like your face".

The man appeared before Bolton Council's Licensing and Environmental Regulation Committee earlier this month to apply to renew his private hire vehicle licence.

The committee found that he was not a fit and proper person to hold a licence because of his past behaviour and criminal convictions.

Included in this was the fact that the driver had been "rude and offensive" on a number of occasions to council staff.

During one argument with a member of council staff he said: "Who wants to speak to you anyway? Your voice is ugly, just like your face."

During the committee meeting the applicant said he regretted his behaviour and apologised but added that some of it arose out of frustration about having asked for things from the council and them not being done.

The committee also heard that the applicant had committed six motoring offences while he was a private hire driver.

A number of complaints had been made about the man during his time as a driver, including being abusive towards passengers and shouting at them.

The committee had concerns over a "clear pattern of abusive and aggressive behaviour" and the fact the driver had indicated a "scant regard for compliance with the law".

The applicant tried to argue his behaviour was because of stress and he was "being used as a scapegoat" but the application to renew was refused and his licence was revoked.

Three more drivers also had their applications refused due to the committee's safety concerns.

The first had his application for a licence refused because in 2014 he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for entering into arrangements to facilitate acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property.

Police intelligence also revealed that in January, 2009 he was involved in a racially aggravated public order offence, but no further action was taken due to the lack of an independent witness.

He was also arrested in 2005 for attempting to leave Marks and Spencer in Bolton with concealed goods and was cautioned for theft.

The driver had failed to declare the offences on his application which the committee then refused.

Another driver had his licence revoked after the committee heard he had a conviction for driving without due care and attention from July, 2017 and had failed to declare it.

He was also convicted of ABH in 2012 and had been driving a private hire licence vehicle without insurance between September 24 and September 29 last year.

The driver said the assault took place when he was aged 16 and naive and immature but the committee did not accept his account of the event and said it was "serious and showed a predisposition for violence".

The licence was revoked.

The final driver had his application for a licence refused because he had failed to declare his alternative name on the DBS check which meant he failed to declare two convictions for failing to comply with traffic signals and two convictions for exceeding the speed limit.