A CRACKDOWN on the standard of taxis in Worcester has been controversially watered down - sparking fury after councillors ignored police advice.

After threats of a High Court legal battle from cabbies, Worcester City Council has opted to relax rules which will see taxis up to 15 years old on the streets.

The move has bitterly split politicians, who spent over an hour openly disagreeing with each other about it, with some insisting it would put the public in danger, damage the environment and lead to "old bangers" picking passengers up.

The dramatic u-turn was given the nod after Councillor Allah Ditta, licensing committee chairman, had to use his casting vote to force part of it through.

In November last year the council the council insisted when any cabbie's vehicle is deemed in need of replacement, they must buy a brand new vehicle costing up to £40,000.

But after Wednesday night's vote hackney carriages can now be bought up to three years old, with the licence renewed yearly until it reaches 10, or sooner if it fails safety checks.

Incredibly, black cabs can now be licensed yearly until they reach the age of 15, instead of the previous figure of 12.

The watering down follows serious pressure from drivers, who claimed they faced going out of business due to the prices of vehicles.

During a council consultation West Mercia Police objected, as well as 16 licensed drivers, while 143 cabbies backed it.

Councillor Chris Mitchell, speaking during the meeting, said: "I can't see what has changed since we made that decision 12 months ago.

"I have seen the arguments from the drivers but we heard all that last year - we are here to protect public safety, not make running a business easier."

Councillor Gareth Jones said: "How many miles would a taxi have done at 14-and-a-half years old? That's got to be 400,000 or 500,000, it's ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous."

A former licensing committee chairman, Councillor Paul Denham said: "Exactly the same arguments over drivers trying to make a living were made one year ago, yet we still made that decision (on only new vehicles being accepted).

"I know one driver, who didn't want that policy and lobbied me to get it changed, told me last year how he was struggling to make a living, and then he acquired a new £40,000 vehicle.

"So you have to question things you're told and not always take it at face value."

Other politicians disagreed, with Councillor Simon Cronin insisting the council should "have faith" in its testing regime.

Councillor Richard Udall said public safety was in question, saying cabbies should not have "old bangers", but Councillor Jo Hodges "well maintained, well driven" cars can last for years.

Around 40 members of Worcester Taxi Drivers Association packed into the meeting to hear the verdict, describing it as "justice done".