POLICE have warned taximen in Rossendale they face a new wave of car-test swoops -- similar to earlier checks which resulted in 80 per cent of tested cars being declared unroadworthy.

Those roadside tests led to the council imposing age limit restrictions on taxis, which sparked strike action and go-slows and traffic snarl-ups by Rossendale Taxi Association members.

The dispute between the cabbies and the council ended in a compromise solution two weeks ago.

But police now say there will be no compromise on taxi checks.

News of the new roadside swoops came at a joint meeting between the council, police and the association, aimed at forging a partnership between the three bodies.

Inspector Ewan Cameron, head of policing in Rossendale West, says he refused to name a date for the checks, but added they would take place in the four weeks period after November 10 -- providing owners the chance to remedy defects before the checks were made.

Police say that after the first exercise, the checks will continue without warning for as long as is deemed necessary.

Inspector Cameron stressed the meeting was held with the best interests of the travelling public and the taxi drivers themselves at heart.

"Everyone at the meeting agreed that taxis in Rossendale should be kept in a roadworthy condition and that the public have a right to expect this," he said.