A man who allegedly threatened a taxi driver with a knife was caught by police after he tried to book another taxi.

The Ely-based Noble Cars driver was called to Main Street, in Littleport, where he picked up the passenger on Saturday, September 8 at around 10pm.

Noble Cars owner Will Noble said the man pulled out a knife on the 26-year-old driver before running away.

The driver, who had only been working for the taxi company for five months, escaped unharmed.

Around a week later on Friday, September 14, police were able to locate the man in Ely Road, Littleport, after he tried to book a taxi again with the same firm.

A police spokesman said: “A 30-year-old man of no fixed abode has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and possession of a bladed article in public.

“He has been bailed to return to a police station on October 10.”

Mr Noble said after the knife incident he had saved the man’s number which he was able to recognise when he tried to book another taxi at around 9.30pm.

“We called the police and asked what are you going to do about it?” Mr Noble said. “He was apprehended that same night.”

He said the incident made him cautious about picking up customers from Littleport and prompted him to temporarily stop serving the area.

“Littleport is a bad place at the moment,” he added. “We refused to go there for a few days.

“We go back there now but we are cagey about who we are picking up.

“We have had trouble and drivers assaulted before, it’s sadly part and parcel of a Friday night for a taxi driver.”

Although Mr Noble believes nothing was stolen during the ordeal, Mr Noble said it has made the drivers - most who have young families - feeling “on edge.”

“The driver was terrified and nervous,” he added. “All the drivers are jumpy about it.

“What upset me the most was I didn’t want to knock on someone’s door and tell them daddy isn’t coming home. “At the end of the day, it’s not nice and we have to work to earn a living.”