THE chairman of a taxi body in Southampton has criticised fellow trade leaders for “rocking the boat” over a review into the number of cabs in the city.

Transport consultants Halcrow have been paid £15,000 to recommend whether or not a limit of 282 Hackney Carriages in the city should be raised.

Taxi union chiefs and the Southampton Hackney Trade Association warned a street survey was “flawed” as it was carried out before eight new plates were issued in December.

But Clive Johnson, chairman of the Southampton Trade Association, which has around 450 members including 100 Hackney Carriage drivers, said: “I don’t believe we should be jumping up and down before we get the result in. The way the economy is I can’t believe there is a shortage of taxis. There is a shortage of customers. I’m confident the findings will show there is no|un-met demand for taxis.”

The council will consider the findings later this year.