POLICE and council officers in Pendle will continue to crack down on faulty private hire and hackney carriages in Barnoldswick and Earby after recent inspections revealed many had defects.

Members of the road policing unit and the council's taxi enforcement office carried out the checks as part of Operation Safe Passage 2.

It followed on from previous operations in Pendle, Burnley and Rossendale aimed at testing the roadworthiness of the vehicles and the status of the drivers.

During this most recent operation, a total of 16 vehicles were checked resulting in four being immediately prohibited from further use due to serious defects, such as excessive play in steering, split brake pipes, defective windscreen wipers and loose driver's seat.

A further two vehicles had prohibition notices issued which were lifted once work had been done and 12 vehicles were issued with Vehicle Defect Rectification forms for faults.

The faults discovered included lighting defects, broken exhaust brackets, no windscreen water and broken or cracked windscreen wipers.

Enforcement officers also issued seven, seven-day notices in conjunction with the police for breaches of private hire regulations.

Police Sergeant Russell Gregory, of the road policing unit in Colne, said: "These checks show that certain private hire operators are not complying with the law and are putting the people of Pendle in unnecessary danger.

"The percentage of vehicles which failed examination causes great concern as the public pay for and expect the drivers and vehicles to be licensed and in roadworthy condition, which unfortunately isn't the case. It is our intention to make the general public feel safe."