POLICE mounted a surprise operation to check on the roadworthy condition of taxis in Blackpool town centre -- and found defects in every cab they stopped!

Police randomly checked 17 vehicles on Friday night and as a result ten of the taxis were found to be so unroadworthy that they were issued with prohibition notices and taken straight off the road.

The others had defects which owners were ordered to repair. Most of the defects related to tyres, suspension and steering. This operation followed a previous one in April where 75 per cent of the taxis stopped had faults.

During the operation, randomly-selected taxis were escorted to Rigby Road bus depot by police motorcyclists where they were inspected by council taxi enforcement officers and members of the Vehicle Inspectorate.

Leader of the operation, PC Ian Brayshaw, said that the results of the exercise were excellent.

"We had a hundred per cent hit rate. Some of the drivers were a bit annoyed that we were taking them off the road. But some of them were quite pleased to have the defects pointed out to them, because some of them were things that a driver wouldn't know about or have realised.

"But I have grave concerns at the seriousness and volume of the defects. We did a similar operation in April and 75 per cent of taxis had faults. Now seven months down the line the defects are getting worse instead of better.

"The aim was to try to reduce the number of people who are injured in taxi accidents. You come out of the pub and you want to get a safe journey home. You are putting your life in the hands of somebody else and you expect your taxi to be a roadworthy vehicle."

PC Brayshaw said that police would also be passing on some information they uncovered on the operation to benefit fraud investigators.

Bob Ridley, principal environmental officer at Blackpool Council said that the taxis chosen were a small sample of the total stock and that residents and visitors should not think all taxis on Blackpool streets were dangerous.

"All the agencies are working together to find any unsatisfactory vehicles. It's our objective to raise the standards of the fleet. That wish is shared with the legitimate taxi operators and their associations. By working together we will raise the standards and cut out the cowboys," he said.

He added that every possible step was taken to keep Blackpool's taxis to a high standard, including daily inspections by council-employed licensing enforcement officers, one of whom was a vehicle examiner.

He said: "Don't be afraid to choose the cab companies or taxis on the basis of how they look, and if you are dissatisfied contact us at the town hall.

"The exercise on Friday indicates the care the agencies take. It's a positive thing not a negative one. It's the towns where they don't do these checks that should be concerned. The fact that a taxi is pulled off the road doesn't mean it's a death trap."

Mike Japp, spokesman for Blackpool Licensed Taxi Owners Association, said that he believed most taxis were well-maintained.

"I think the public would realise that under very close scrutiny the majority of cars on the road would have some faults. We do our best to have a well-maintained fleet. I would say on the whole that taxis in Blackpool are extremely safe considering the high mileage they do," he said.

He added that taxi operators who offer discount fares should reconsider their approach. "Those that do discount fares aren't doing themselves any favours. Something has to suffer down the line. I would advise operators to reflect very carefully on whether they continue to offer discounts.

"As an association we welcome the approach by police. We would like to see the taxi fleets well-maintained," he said.