IT WAS just meant to be a cheeky way of making his customers laugh – but this saucy numberplate nearly cost this cabbie his livelihood.

Martin Willis has been called Willy almost his entire life, so as a birthday gift his wife Linda got him the registration plate MW11 LLY which he proudly displayed on his car.

But after more than a year of people laughing at the cheeky lettering he had a knock on the door from Eastleigh Borough Council after a complaint had been made.

It could have meant the council would not renew his licence to work, meaning he would not be able to continue as a private hire driver.

Mr Willis, from Midanbury in Southampton, said: “As soon as I put the plate on the car People would say to me they loved the number plate and it made people smile and laugh.”

But unfortunately for the 60-year-old, who works as a self-employed driver for Checkercars, not everyone saw the funny side.

“Someone from the council knocked on my door and said there had been a complaint about my number plate and that someone found it offensive.

“I have not had to change it because it is legal but I have never had any complaints in the eight years I have been a taxi driver and I presume this complaint is going to go on my record.

“It is so trivial. There’s so much going on in the world and somebody finds this offensive; something that 99 per cent of people find funny.

The offending plate had a space between the M and the W but said he removed it and replaced it with one where there was no space between the two letters.

A spokesperson for the council said: “Last month Eastleigh Borough Council’s enforcement office was contacted by a member of the public who had seen Mr Willis’ registration plate at Southampton Airport and complained that it was inappropriate.

“Our Enforcement Officer visited Mr Willis on 12 November to point out that altering the spacing on a registration plate was an offence under the Road Traffic Act and could affect a future application to renew his licence.

“Mr Willis took our advice on board and rectified the issue promptly.”