A TAXI driver has been left traumatised after he was assaulted and robbed by two passengers while driving them down the motorway.

Mohammed Arif, who works for Response Taxis in Darwen, picked up two men from the Bridgewater Pub in the centre of the town with a view to dropping them in Accrington.

Halfway down the M65, close to Whitebirk, one of the passengers began punching Mr Arif in the back of the head, causing the terrified driver to pull over onto the hard shoulder.

The driver was then punched and grabbed by the throat, before the attacker towards Accrington.

Mr Arif said: “I got hit in the back of the head and stopped the car and one man got out and we had words and he grabbed me and then he ran off.

“The other man, he was saying it was nothing to do with him so I let him stay in the cab if he promised to behave.

“While I was stood on the hard shoulder he must’ve stolen all my money from the taxi because it was all gone when I dropped him off.”

Mr Arif said there was about £80 in cash taken from his cab and he has since been left traumatised by the incident.

He said: “I didn’t go to work for three days because I was in shock. I’m recovered now but I don’t want to take any more jobs from any pubs.”

Mr Arif’s boss said his employee had suffered some psychological damage and was also refusing to take out of town jobs.

Mr Nadeem said: “The Bridgewater pub has CCTV that shows these two men, and we would be grateful if anyone could help in finding them.”

A spokesperson for the police said: “A taxi driver had been assaulted while driving on the motorway. One of the men has made off on the motorway while the other had been dropped off in the Blackburn area.

“The driver was punched and had his throat grabbed. The assault is still under investigation.”

The incident took place around 3pm on Tuesday September 17. Anyone with any information that could help the police should call 101 quoting log number 0819 of September 17.