POLICE are trying to identify a taxi driver who looks like TV personality Jerry Springer after he offered a free lift to a schoolboy.

Anthony Bond

POLICE are trying to identify a taxi driver who looks like TV personality Jerry Springer after he offered a free lift to a schoolboy.

Officers are trying to establish if there was any sinister motive or whether the man was trying to be a good-spirited public citizen in Ramsden Heath, Essex.

The 10-year-old boy was walking along Dowsetts Lane in the village shortly before 3:30pm on Thursday, September 10, when a taxi pulled up alongside him. The driver gestured through the closed window, asking whether the boy wanted a lift and to get in.

Investigating Officer, Pc Steve King, said: “This incident may have been purely well-intentional, but we are keen to find out. The boy has described the car as being a white saloon which had the word TAXI on the back, left-hand side and the numbers 050 in the telephone number beneath it. It is a good description so we're hoping that the man knows who he is or the company can identify him for us.”

The male driver is described as white, but tanned, aged approximately 50 and of stocky build. He has tidy, short grey hair which was swept to the back and sides. He was wearing spectacles which have square-shaped lenses, but have oval curves at the top and bottom.

CCTV has captured a Ford Focus estate in the area at the time of the incident. It was travelling towards the White Horse Public House. Officers are uncertain whether this vehicle is the one that pulled up alongside the child.

Anyone with information in connection with this incident is urged to contact investigating officers at Chelmsford police station on 0300 333 4444.