TAXI drivers have hit back at "town hall Scrooges" who have warned cabbies not to put Christmas decorations inside or on their cars.

Barrow Borough Council's licensing department has issued a reminder to all taxi drivers in the borough after receiving a complaint about one car which had a number of festive stickers on the exterior.

Cars must not display any stickers or adverts on their exterior, other than those approved by licensing officers, and fairy lights or bizarre paint schemes are also banned.

The council has refused to confirm who made the complaint, although some taxi drivers have suggested it could be a case of sour grapes from rival cab firms.

The Evening Mail understands some taxi drivers have vowed to continue to spread the Christmas cheer and ignore the warning.

One taxi driver told us: "This is no doubt somebody in the council is trying to make a name for themselves with this left-leaning political correctness nonsense."

Councillor Tony Callister, the council’s spokesperson for licensing and environmental health, said the ban on Christmas decorations was not new.

“When vehicle licences are granted they are issued with conditions, which the vehicle proprietor must adhere to for the duration of the licence," he said.

"There are conditions relating to signage and advertising which state that bizarre or psychedelic painting colour schemes will not be permitted and the interior and exterior of the vehicle shall at all times be kept in good clean and smart condition.

"Other conditions state that advertising on the bodywork of the vehicle is permitted, subject to approval by the Borough Council but no advertising material must be displayed on windows which must be kept free of any visual obstructions.

"As a result, it is normal practice for vehicle proprietors to be requested to remove any advertising or signage from their licensed vehicles if it has not been approved by the Licensing Regulatory Committee."

The Christmas warning is the latest to taxi drivers in Barrow regarding the rules imposed by the council.

In August, the council published a dress code, which bans short skirts, flip flops and baseball caps or woolly hats - meaning Santa hats are also a no-no. Councillor Callister was not sure if the dress code would prohibit the wearing of Christmas ties.

In contrast, Copeland Borough Council does not operate a dress code.

The Evening Mail understands Copeland has twice attempted to introduce a dress code but the plans were rejected by councillors following protests from taxi drivers.

South Lakeland District Council is not understood to be taking specific action regarding any festive decorations or outfits.

A spokesman said: “We don’t have any plans to ban taxi drivers from wearing Christmas hats.

“We do have guidelines on acceptable dress codes for drivers and licence conditions on what is appropriate signage for taxis in order to safeguard the safety and comfort of passengers.

“Any contraventions of conditions are dealt with on a case-by-case basis when a specific complaint is made or if problems are identified during routine inspections.”