BLACK cabs in Hyndburn might not be black from next year - after the borough council agreed to impose a colour code for hackney carriage operators.

Hyndburn Council's licensing and traffic orders committee agreed to bring in a colour code from January 1 next year, to help distinguish hackney carriages from private hire cars.

A report to councillors stated: "The public would be much clearer as to which vehicles can be hailed on the street or picked up from a rank, thereby reducing the risk of passengers wrongly using a vehicle which is not insured for public hire."

Road safety experts and paint manufacturers will be consulted about the colour scheme to find a livery which would increase safety at night.

Liveries in other towns and cities include black cars with white bonnets, white cars with green bonnets and cars with stripes down the middle or side.

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