A TAXI driver had his teeth knocked out, and suffered cuts and bruising after being punched by two passengers.

Police said the driver’s taxi rolled away during the attack and crashed into a parked car.

The 45-year-old driver, said to be from the Blackburn area, collected a man and woman in Burnley town centre in the early hours of Sunday.

At around 5.30am he dropped the pair off in Church Square, Worsthorne, close to the Bay Horse pub.

Lancashire Police said that, after getting out of the vehicle, the man repeatedly punched the taxi driver in the face, while the woman, who was still in the vehicle, also punched him.

The man and woman are then believed to have fled the scene.

A police spokesman confirmed that during the incident the taxi driver’s vehicle rolled forward and collided with another car.

Police are now making further enquiries to see if any CCTV from the area, including nearby public houses and shops, captured the incident.

The man is said to have had short, blond hair and was wearing a white shirt.

The woman is thought to have been in her early 20s, with shoulder-length blonde hair. She was wearing a light silver dress.

CCTV cameras are not fitted inside most Burnley taxis, although there have been trial schemes in Pendle and Hyndburn.

Witnesses to the Church Square attack are asked to contact police on 01282 425001 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.