THE mayor of Melksham was held at gunpoint in a terrifying taxi hijacking on a trip to the South America.

Cllr Terri Welch and her daughter Karen Bashford, 31, were forced to hand over money after getting into a "pirate taxi" in Venezuela.

Cllr Welch had been shopping in the town of Maraciabo, and was returning to her daughter's flat when the driver threatened them with a gun.

Two men then jumped into the back of the car and stole cash and valued possessions from the two women.

Because of the danger posed to westerners in the country, Miss Bashford's employers at Shell provide reputable taxis to and from work. But on returning home after dark they were forced to hail a street cab.

Speaking of the incident, which happened at the end of last month, Cllr Welch said she was immediately suspicious of the driver.

"There were things that I didn't like about him. I did ask my daughter if she was sure we were doing the right thing," she said.

"Then he turned round and pulled a gun on us and pulled over, when two other blokes jumped into the car. They took all the money that we had on us and my camera.

"It was a scary situation. The worst thing was the thought of where were they going to dump us. If they had dumped us a long way away in an area that was not salubrious then we would have had problems."

The British Embassy website highlights dangers faced by tourists in Venezuela, especially the risk posed by pirate taxis.