AN 'Ian Huntley' cannot be allowed to slip through the net according to Redditch councillors pushing for stringent criminal background checks on taxi drivers.

Redditch Council's executive committee was adamant that despite Home Office advice to the contrary, the authority should continue with 'enhanced disclosure' checks on all drivers.

This means the authority would have access to information regarding any "non-conviction" information police may hold on drivers, not just records of court convictions which would be discovered anyway.

The issue arose because the council wants to clarify its criminal checks on new taxi licence holders and three-yearly checks on other drivers.

This follows the questioning of the policy by a taxi licence applicant.

But the Home Office suggested enhanced disclosure checks should only be made on drivers who come into contact with children or 'vulnerable groups' on a regular basis.

It said the case for requiring all taxi drivers to be eligible for an enhanced disclosure check had not been made.

But this angered councillors on the executive committee.

Liberal Democrat Diane Thomas said: "It's so easy for people to slip through the net. Look at people like Ian Huntley - he slipped through the net."

Conservative councillor Pat Wilson said any driver could come into contact with lone children or vulnerable people at any time.

She added: "Huntley would have got a licence because his non-conviction information would not have been disclosed. We owe it to the public to ensure proper checks are made."

Full council will have to back the decision before it becomes policy.