WAR has been declared on rip-off rogue taxi companies after plain-clothes police flagged down private hire vehicles illegally seeking customers.

Uniformed officers also caught eight taxi drivers not wearing seat belts and ordered one vehicle off the road because it had defective lights.

The four taxi drivers flagged down during the operation in Blackburn over the weekend must attend committee hearings, which could result in their licence being suspended.

Police and the licensing department of Blackburn with Darwen Council mounted the operation after a reported increase in taxis illegally plying for trade.

Only Hackney Carriages are insured to be flagged down, yet police had many reports of private hire drivers, who should only be pre-booked, allowing themselves to be hailed. Often, police said, the drivers would then charge inflated prices.

The practice is said to be a nationwide problem but police and council officers decided enough was enough. They promise more swoops in the coming months to ensure the practice is stamped out.

PC Neil Cookson said: "The whole operation took the taxi drivers by surprise. They are not used to such a partnership approach to this sort of enforcement and we have proved, when we work together, we can be highly effective.

"Some of the vehicles had minor defects but one was not roadworthy enough it had to be taken off the road there and then.

"We will definitely be maintaining the impetus on these sort of crackdowns to stay on top of the rogue operators."

Donna Riding, team leader for licensing at the council, said: "We have had meetings with police and members of the taxi trade, who are fully supportive of the crackdown. The main aim is to ensure the vehicles are safe and that the public using taxis are

not ripped off."

Customs officers were also involved in the operation but they did not find any illegal use of red diesel. They set up the checkpoints around town and stopped 28 taxis, of which 27 were private hire vehicles.

Some 24 drivers were ordered to produce their documents at a police station and the eight caught not wearing a seat belt were given fixed penalty fines.

The driver whose car was ordered off the road due to a defective light has seven days to fix it.