FOUR 'unsafe' taxis have been driven off Southampton's roads.

It follows a joint operation between Southampton City Council's licensing enforcement team and Hampshire Constabulary.

The two groups joined forces on Tuesday night to make sure taxis in the city were roadworthy and complying with licensing rules.

More than 20 taxis were stopped, of which ten were sent to be examined.

This lead to nine being dealt with for different offences and five given notices to get minor issues rectified.

However, police have revealed that four taxis were suspended by council licensing enforcement officers with immediate effect until major faults have been made safe.

Sergeant Rebecca Hodge, from the Joint Roads Policing Unit, said: “We are working together to ensure taxis in the Southampton area are safe for all to use.

"We want people to know that taxis in the city are safe so that they are more appealing as a safe option to get home.”

Phil Bates, from Southampton City Council, added: “By working together we can use a large pool of powers to ensure that all taxis conform, including those licensed in Southampton and those from other areas working within the city.”

The latest operation comes less than five months after a similar joint effort by police and city licensing bosses.

Four “dangerous” taxis were banned from Southampton’s roads in that operation, in March.

Another taxi, from outside the city, was also taken off the road as it had rear tyres so worn down that officers could see metal through the rubber.

Nine other taxi drivers, five of which were private hire, were also told to make urgent repairs to their cars.

At the time, city council licensing chief, Phil Bates, labelled the outcome as “disappointing”.