TAXI drivers have welcomed the scrapping of controversial plans to force them to buy new cars to suit a colour scheme.

Barrow Borough Council has been conducting a consultation ahead of adopting a new regulatory policy which will apply to all 365 licensed hackney carriage and private hire drivers.

Private hire vehicles must be pre-booked and cannot ply for hire while hackney cabs can be 'flagged down' in the street or collect fares from official ranks.

The proposed changes had stated the exterior colour of all 157 hackney carriages must be white while private hire vehicles must be any colour other than white.

Drivers had warned limiting the colour of cars would "force cabbies out of work". The 'white-only' rule for hackney cabs is already in operation in Carlisle.

Although existing licensed drivers in Barrow would be given a 'grandfather rules' grace period of a number of years before they would be forced to buy a new car of a different colour many feared it would price them out of the business.

Bob Mullen, from the Furness Taxi Trade Association, had said when the changes were first proposed that "it’s like forcing every shop in town to paint the frontage the exact same colour".

However, in response to the outpouring of anger from Barrow's taxi drivers, Barrow Borough Council has made a U-turn.

Under the revised changes, instead of distinguishing between private hire and hackney cabs through the car's colour customers will be able to identify a hackney cab from their lit-up roof sign.

Following the initial consultation, the licensing team met with the taxi trade along with the chair of the Licensing Regulatory Committee, Councillor Tony Callister and took onboard their concerns about vehicle colour.

Cllr Callister said the “council feel this was a positive way forward” to move the policy on, in order to introduce new and updated vehicle specifications with the aim of improving the safety and quality of all licensed vehicles.

Mr Mullen, a taxi driver of 14 years, welcomed the council's U-turn.

"It is a bit of a victory; a victory for common sense," he said.

"Any private hire vehicles which have roof signs will have to take them off so that hackney cabs will be identified by their roof sign. That's what we've been suggesting for the last five or six years."