TAXI bosses have welcomed a police safety crackdown in which seven private hire or Hackney cabs were ordered off the road at the weekend.

Fifteen of the 22 hire vehicles tested in Burnley failed roadside safety tests and nearly a third of them were declared too dangerous to drive.

Now, after police warned they may question the right of some drivers and operators to hold licences, Burnley's main taxi operators group has given the thumbs up to the police action.

"The monitoring of public safety vehicles can only be of benefit to the public," says Duncan Allan, secretary of the 400-member Burnley Private Hire Association. He said vehicle standards were a national problem and safety checks in other parts of the country had found up to two thirds of vehicles tested had failed.

"Although we are slightly disappointed by the result in Burnley and Padiham, on a national level we seem to fair better than most."

Mr Allan added: "Our association and all law-abiding firms fully support every enforcement action that improves passenger safety -- the standards in the industry must be kept high."

Burnley police, who carried out the checks in conjunction with council licence enforcement officers and housing and DSS benefits staff, said 10 drivers had ben reported for road traffic offences and three were found in breach of taxi licence conditions.

Inquiries are also continuing in to drivers claiming benefits while employed.

Burnley police said the situation was totally unacceptable and warned that further spot checks would be carried out in the borough.