A BLACKPOOL taxi-driver who applied for a standard criminal records check was stunned to discover a string of criminal convictions had been recorded against his name.

John Clark, 44, was told he had been jailed twice for burglary and theft, committed fraud, resisted police and breached bail conditions in a 15-year crime spree.

But Mr Clark had not committed any of the offences and had not even visited many of the locations where his supposed crimes took place.

He has now spent the last two months trying to clear his name after the police finally admitted it was a case of mistaken identity.

Mr Clark, who is required to have a regular criminal records check for work has since been forced to have his photograph and fingerprints taken by the police.

He said: "I had a criminal records check last year which took 15 weeks to come back - but was clear.

"But this latest check has come back with 15 convictions. None of which had anything to do with me.

"I have spent the last two months trying to clear my name and no-one seems to be taking this problem seriously.

"When I call in at the taxi license office, people think that I have actually committed these crimes.

"I got married one year ago and even my wife asked me 'how do I know you haven't done these things?' I had to say to her 'of course you know'.

"But what if I had married someone who didn't trust me?"

The police have told Mr Clark shares his first and last name with another John Clark, who was born on the same day and in the same part of the country.

But Mr Clark points out that his middle name Joseph is crucially different: "What annoys me is that the police only needed to check my middle name to know we were not the same person."

The taxi driver says his only 'saving grace' is that he has been told the nature of his convictions do not affect his work.

But he said: "I am shocked by the scale of the problem. There must be some innocent people out there who are not able to work because they have wrongly shown up with more serious convictions - such as sex offences.

"It makes me very angry when people like Ian Huntley slip through the net."

Mr Clark added: "It is a disgrace. If this had affected my employment, I am sure it would have been cleared up quicker."