Police have suggested valuables be locked away

Now Kent Police are warning other drivers be on their guard.

In the first incident a taxi driver picked up three men in their 20s outside a club in Norfolk Road at about 0130 BST.

The customers have been described by police as being of eastern European appearance.

The group attacked the driver and then stole cash and a mobile before fleeing.

Money demanded

In a similar incident three days later on Tuesday three men got into a taxi at the Tesco store in New Road.

The customers were taken to Lorton Close where one of the men, described as a black man in his late 20s, held a knife to the driver's neck and demanded money.

The offenders took the cash tray and the driver's wallet before punching him in the face and running down an alleyway toward Old Road East.

Police said the two other men were described as being of eastern European and in their late to mid 20s.

A police spokesman said: "We are urging taxi drivers to remain vigilant and to ensure all loose cash and valuables are securely locked away."