A rickshaw rider who showed “truly shocking audacity” trying to charge foreign tourists more than £200 for a short journey through central London has given a brazen defence of his actions.

Juris Dzjabovic, a 22-year-old Russian, was caught on camera having a row after demanding £206 for taking four people just one mile from Oxford Circus to Marble Arch.

Footage of the incident filmed by black cab driver Richard Long has gone on YouTube and been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

Mr Long called the fee for the journey last Wednesday afternoon “outrageous”.

A police officer who appeared after a crowd of angry passers-by gathered can be heard telling the rickshow rider: “You're blatantly ripping them off.”

Councillor Richard Beddoe, Westminster City Council’s cabinet member for city management, is calling on the government to give London more powers on regulating the trade and said: "We are truly shocked at the audacity shown in this video.

“We have long argued for greater regulation and licensing on rickshaws, not only to avoid clear rip offs like this, but to reduce congestion and improve safety on our streets."

Despite the condemnation, Mr Dzjabovic appears unrepentant.

The Daily Mail today quotes him as saying: “I charged £206 because there were four people and I was going uphill. I didn't even charge them the full amount – it should have been £412. Sure, £10 a minute is expensive, but that's only if I go uphill. For downhill, it's £10 for ten minutes.”

He adds: “The fact is everything is expensive in London. I am not the bad guy, I just do my job like everyone else.”

Do you think rickshaws add anything to the West End or are they an over-priced nuisance? Should the trade be more tightly regulated? Have you seen examples of tourists being exploited by ‘service’ providers? Add your comments below.