AIRPORT police today warned cab drivers operating without the correct licences that they would be caught.

The move follows reports to Ribble Valley Borough Council that a Langho cab driver, Mark Fowler, had carried on taking fares after his taxi driver's licence ran out on December 1.

His vehicle, a minibus, had also been taken off the road after failing a mid-term test, but concerned residents had reported that he had carried on taking people to and from Manchester Airport in another, unregistered vehicle.

An undercover reporter rang Mr Fowler to book a taxi last week. After answering the phone by saying "Airtax", Mr Fowler accepted the fare, but denied doing so when we approached him at his St Mary's Avenue home later on.

He claimed to be in the process of re-applying for his licence -- an application Ribble Valley Borough Council's licensing department had not received yesterday.

Today, a spokesman for Manchester Airport Police said: "This is an issue we take very seriously and while it would be unfair to talk about allegations against one individual, we do liaise with councils, including Ribble Valley, when they receive complaints.

"We will be checking the licences of people who come to the airport to see that they are fully registered. We are talking about people's safety here."

A spokesman for Ribble Valley Borough Council said: "We have spoken to the airport police to make sure they are aware of these allegations. We have received complaints about Mr Fowler who, we have been told, has continued accepting fares even though he isn't licensed and his vehicle is off the road."

When approached at his home by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, Mr Fowler initially denied accepting fares, but then said he would be getting his licence back.

The spokesman added: "We have not received his licence application yet.

"What we have received are a lot of enquiries asking if people are entitled to a refund on deposits paid for forthcoming trips which suggests to us several more bookings."

Nobody at Airtax could be contacted for comment despite repeated attempts.