FOUR taxis were taken off the road in Colne after random spot checks found them to be unsafe.

Officers from the road policing unit teamed up with Pendle enforcement officers and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to run the operation in Colne town centre last Friday.

A total of 18 taxis were stopped and checked and of those, four were taken off the road after they were found to have tyre defects.

A further four had minor defects which were fixed at the roadside.

Sgt Gareth Hill, of the Pennine Road Policing Unit, said: “This operation is all about safety, both for the driver and their passengers.

“Taxi drivers have a big responsibility both for the safety of their passengers and other road users and it is important to regularly check that the taxis on our roads are safe and legal.

“We will continue to carry out similar operations in the future.”