10 September 1897 saw the first drink-drive conviction in Britain. George Smith, aged 25, drove his taxi onto the pavement and into the front of 165 Bond Street, London. He worked for the Electric Cab Company of Hackney, London. He admitted `having had two or three glasses of beer` and was fined 20 shillings. Thirteen days later a 9 year old child, Stephen Kempton, was crushed to death after his coat got caught in the chain drive after he had jumped onto the outside of an electric cab. The company ceased trading in August, 1899 with the fleet, which had grown to 77 vehicles, being sold off. The Metropolitan Police stopped licensing this type of electric cab in 1900. A single Bersey is preserved at Beaulieu. Read more
