A CRACKDOWN on taxis by city chiefs has finally hit Ilkley - but drivers without a licence are still operating illegally, it has been claimed.

Bradford Council sent 'mystery shoppers' into Ilkley and other areas in a bid to snare hackney carriage drivers who overcharge customers, after a variety of complaints from taxi customers. Legitimate drivers and parish councillors called for action on unlicensed drivers earlier this year.

The recent crackdown caught five drivers around the district and the council revoked their licences. Bradford Council has urged residents with complaints about hackney carriages or private hire drivers and vehicles to get in touch, planning joint 'police action days' in a continued blitz on cabs which break the rules.

But private hire drivers operating without a licence are continuing to run in the Ilkley area, says a law-abiding driver, despite repeated calls for the authorities to get tough.

Small private hire operators in Wharfedale told the Gazette in January they knew of unscrupulous drivers, who had not paid out to have their cars tested and officially licensed by Bradford Council, operating in the Ilkley area. They claimed they had demanded action from both the council and the police, but nothing had been done about it.

Licensed driver Phil Hill, of Ilkley, told the Gazette this week the unlicensed private hire drivers were still at work - despite the hackney carriage crackdown and previous advice to customers from the council.

He said: "I just wish the police would get involved and the council would help out to sort something out. One of these days someone is going to get killed in an unlicensed car, then they'll get blamed for it. It happens all the time in other areas, it's only a matter of time before something happens here."

As well as the fear that unlicensed drivers may not have their cars up to the relevant safety standards, they would not be covered by insurance in the event of a road accident. Unlicensed drivers may also have dodged Criminal Records Bureau checks - which are necessary for the job as taxi drivers frequently ferry young children to and from school.

Honest drivers are also angry that they are losing out on potential work to the drivers who are not paying the thousands of pounds to make sure they meet council regulations.

Mr Hill said he had spoken to both Bradford Council officers and the police in the past, but said nothing had been done. Ilkley town leaders were also concerned about unlicensed cars earlier this year, and have repeated their call for action.

Ilkley Parish Council chairman, Mike Gibbons, said: "We're concerned about the proliferation and lack of control over the unlicensed cabs, and I know that residents feel a very great concern about speeding issues with regard to unlicensed taxis. It could be argued that the unlicensed ones are speeding to maximise their take from the town.

"I would urge the authorities and the police to continue to crack down on this wherever possible."

Bradford Council environment chief, Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, said she was looking into the problem, and did not rule out future moves at police action days, when it was hoped the police would assist council officers in looking into problems reported about taxis.

She said: "I'm concerned about the numerous complaints I'm receiving from the district around the whole issue of taxis, that is, private hire and hackney carriages.

Councillor Hawkesworth said the taxi licences system has been altered, and any drivers who lost their licence in future would have to appeal via magistrates rather than the council if they wanted to regain their licence.

The council advises members of the public to check that the taxi's fare meter is only switched on when they get into the cab. Passengers are also advised to check that taxis they hire have a valid licence.

Licensed cars should display a disc in the windscreen bearing the vehicle's registration number and the expiry date of the licence.