THE ROW between Blackburn and Darwen taxi drivers and the town hall looks to have reached stalemate with more strikes and go-slows on the horizon.

Private hire drivers and taxi drivers left clubbers in the two towns stranded when they staged a lightning strike on Saturday night.

It followed a go-slow protest weeks earlier which brought Blackburn town centre to a standstill at the height of the rush hour.

The latest action came after the breakdown of renewed talks between drivers' leaders and council bosses over increased safety checks.

Cabbies claim the increase in safety checks and the rising cost of MOT tests are forcing people out of business.

At a meeting on Thursday Blackburn with Darwen Council public protection committee chairman Coun Jim Blackburn came up with the improved package which included lower fees and longer time limits for re-test of MOT failures.

He said: "The taxi drivers' representatives said they would go away and talk to their members.

"They never got back to us and we received no notice that there was going to be a strike.

"I will have another look at our options but we are not going to change our minds about the safety checks.

"When we have held spot checks in the past, 80 per cent of the cars failed. Our main priority is the safety of the public."

Mick Curic, chairman of the Blackburn with Darwen private hire association, hit back: "We put the deal to the drivers and they were all against accepting it.

"Ninety nine per cent of the firms are backing this action and it is up to the council to make the next move.

"It is quite possible that there will be more strikes and go slows in the near future."

Mr Curic dismissed claims that some drivers were intimidated and forced into taking part in the strike.

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