TAXI operators in the Ribble Valley are being targeted to clean up their act after random spot checks on hackney and private hire vehicles revealed over half to have some sort of defect.

The spot checks, carried out by Ribble Valley Borough Council's taxi enforcement officer Graham Roe and Clitheroe police revealed that of the 20 vehicles stopped over 50 per cent had defects including faulty tyres, broken mirrors and lights, broken seat belts, damaged fuel caps, insecure batteries and expired badges.

And the investigations also revealed that one vehicle operating in the area was so unfit for use police ordered the removal of its taxi plates.

Four further vehicles were suspended until the problems could be rectified.

Mr Roe said: "The council is committed to pursuing improvements in the services provided by taxis and private high vehicles with the safety of customers being paramount.

"With this in mind myself, along with Clitheroe police, stopped over 20 vehicles on Friday night to conduct on-the-spot vehicle checks."

He added: "Four of the vehicles checked were suspended from use until the defects are rectified. One vehicle was taken off the road by police with the operators instructed to remove the taxi plates as it was assessed as unfit for us.

"Further checks will be conducted on a regular basis by ourselves and the police."

Local taxi drivers were warned they could have their licences suspended at a meeting at Ribble Valley Town Hall.

A spokesman for the council's legal services department said: "If a taxi operator is found to have serious vehicle defects, their licence will be suspended until we are satisfied the problems have been corrected."

The meeting also heard that a number of taxi hire firms were operating in the Ribble Valley without licences.

One taxi driver, who does not wish to be named, said "If the worst case scenario happened it could be disastrous as the driver would not be insured."

As well as a large number of taxi firms, Ribble Valley Borough currently has 49 licensed hackney carriages in the district, six of which have a disabled person's seat.

The number was increased from 48 in March to accommodate the area's only licensed female hackney carriage driver.