TAXI drivers are giving a whole new meaning to the term 'night school' -- by attending classes at midnight!

Dozens of drivers from across Blackburn and Darwen are taking part in the lessons, which include self-defence.

Classes in basic skills and courses in customer care, legal knowledge, health and safety and mechanical skills are also being offered.

The project is run by Blackburn with Darwen Lifelong Learning Forum and is funded by the Learning and Skills Council Local Initiative Fund, set up to encourage under-represented adult groups to return to school.

The cabbies expressed an interest in the courses more than a year ago after a string of attacks. They are held in places convenient for drivers, such as taxi offices.

Organisers of the scheme believe traditional evening class times prevented drivers from taking part in college classes because it clashed with their shifts.

Bi-lingual tutors have also been used.

Coun Mahfooz Hussain, executive member for education and lifelong learning at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "We wanted to encourage more men to participate and decided the best way to do this was to take the learning to them and overcome significant barriers such as unsocial shift patterns, language difficulties and embarrassment.

"Once we overcame these difficulties through the use of bi-lingual tutors and literature and ran the courses around shift patterns in a familiar environment such as the taxi depots, the courses on offer were quickly filled up."

The success of the pilot scheme means that around 700 cabbies across Blackburn with Darwen will now get the chance to take part over the next two years. The vision is that local taxi offices will eventually be transformed into neighbourhood learning centres for the whole community.

Umar Talaty, 30, has been a taxi driver for 13 years.

He took part in the pilot project and took courses in IT and first aid. Self-defence is up next.

He said: "When the team came to visit us at the depot we took a bit of persuading but everything I have learnt so far has been relevant and helpful.

"I am far more confident and therefore communicate much better with my customers. It has made everyone involved feel that taxi driving is much more of a profession."

Steve Palmer, executive director of the Learning and Skills Council, said: "The taxi drivers should be an inspiration for other people."