Taxi drivers today hit back after a major swoop in the city centre when ten illegal CB radios were seized after complaints that they were interfering with emergency services.

Iftikhar Bhatti, secretary of Bradford Hackney Carriage Association, said the cabbies had no idea the cheap American radios they used were illegal - because they could easily be bought in shops.

He said they were also unaware there were any problems with the police, fire and ambulance frequencies because no one had been in touch with them.

Mr Bhatti - who says the association will have a special meeting next week over the blitz - said the drivers did not use the radios to chat.

The operators now face possible prosecution by the Department of Trade and Industry for using illegal radio equipment.

But Mr Bhatti said: "They are there to call other drivers for help when they are in trouble. There are more and more attacks on the drivers but the police never seem to want to know about it."

He said the major clampdown should never have happened because the radios would have been removed voluntarily if there had been discussions.

"There was no need at all for all these agencies to be involved over something which easily could have been settled."

Mr Bhatti spoke out after a six-hour operation by police, the Department of Trade and Customs and Excise and Bradford Council in the city centre on Tuesday. Chairman of the Council's highways sub committee Councillor Phil Thornton says the blitz will continue because the safety of the public is paramount.

Council enforcement officers took five defective cabs off the road during the operation but they were allowed to continue after being put right. The drivers now face disciplinary action, which could include suspension, or prosecution by the police.

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