A TAXI driver who claimed a passenger robbed him at knifepoint has been fined after admitting he made the story up.

The 38-year-old was given an £80 fixed penalty notice for wasting police time.

He had claimed he had been robbed while driving his car in Baglan Way in Port Talbot.

He even went to the lengths of giving the police a detailed description of his attacker and was driven around the area in a police car to point out where the incident had allegedly happened and where the robber had run off to.

"The report was received on Tuesday afternoon and prompted an investigation by response officers and detectives," said a police spokesman.

"The man claimed that he had been flagged down by a member of the public and subsequently threatened with a five-inch knife. He claimed £350 had been stolen from him.

"When questioned by detectives he admitted that the report was false."

Chief Inspector Jason James of Neath Port Talbot Police said: "Robberies are few and far between in the Neath Port Talbot area and robberies using weapons such as the one described by this individual are extremely rare.

"When they do occur then a full investigation is conducted which has resulted in a very high detection rate for robbery.

"This report was treated seriously and prompted a response which could have diverted us from a genuine victim of crime.

"We will always do all we can to help and support victims of crime and bring offenders to justice.

"However, behaviour of this nature will not be tolerated and we will deal with those who fabricate incidents, wasting our time and making us less able to deal with genuine victims of crime who need our help."