Ref. 29901-4TAXI drivers are being urged by Swindon Council and the police to use designated taxi ranks in the town centre.

Letters have been sent out to taxi companies asking them to stop picking up passengers in John Street, which is awash with people spilling out of pubs and nightclubs at weekends.

Tony Foss, the head of parking services at Swindon Council, said: "The area has become a bottleneck.

"It is a narrow road and taxis are presenting a hazard. Emergency vehicles could be obstructed."

Now the council, along with the police, are seeking the cooperation of taxi drivers to start using the official taxi ranks outside the railway station, bus station and in Regent Circus.

Mr Foss said: "Hopefully this will minimise the potential for problems in the John Street area."

Many black cab drivers, who are legally allowed to stop anywhere to pick up passengers, are angry at the move.

Black cab driver John King, 49, from Park North, said: "A lot of taxi drivers are annoyed.

"There aren't enough taxi ranks to cope with the demand."

He thinks John Street should be just for taxis during the evening at weekends.

He said: "There wouldn't be enough room for us if we all waited outside the railway station.

"Business people coming off late trains would have to put up with brawls which break out between drunken revellers who are searching for a taxi."

But minicab drivers, who have to be pre-booked before picking up passengers, think the plan is a good idea.

Steve Vardy, 47, who works for United Radio Cars in the Transfer Bridges Industrial Estate, supports the move.

He said: "The area does get blocked with cabs, which is dangerous. If the designated pick-up points were used, this wouldn't be a problem."

Victoria Tagg