TAXIS have been taken off the road during a council and police crackdown which saw more than half fail checks.

Of the 19 taxi vehicles checked, only nine passed the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency standard MOT test.

The checks were carried out last week by two neighbourhood policing teams from Nelson in a joint operation with DVSA and Pendle Council taxi licensing staff.

Officers have warned taxi drivers of the consequences of driving taxis with faults.

A police spokesman said: “These checks will carried out more often, so if you choose to run the risk of driving taxis with issues, prepare for the consequences.”

PC Nigel Keates, of Colne and West Craven Police, welcomed the crackdown.

He said: “The safety of passengers is extremely important.

“How many times have we had to have these operations? But they are necessary of course.

“I support the council’s actions in clamping down on the taxi firms who don’t ensure the necessary safety checks are carried out."

Last year, the Lancashire Telegraph reported on spot checks on taxis in Pendle, which saw almost half the vehicles checked failing inspections.

A multi-agency team including Pendle Council’s taxi enforcement department and the police, tested 14 private hire and Hackney taxis, with six failing the spot checks.

Safety issues included brake lights or indicator faults, tyre tread depth faults, steering play issues and ball joints or suspension type faults.

Neil Watson, planning, building control and licensing manager at Pendle Council, said: “The safety of the public when using taxis is the number one issue.

“The failure rate has improved but in this latest check more than 50 per cent of vehicles failed the test which is not acceptable."