PRIVATE hire taxi drivers have threatened to boycott Watford after the borough council announced "crippling" plans to increase their licences and ban them from busy parts of the town centre.

Angry drivers have also accused Watford Council of stirring-up a "taxi turf war" between the private hire mini cab companies and the black and white hackney carriages, who are competing for passengers at the top end of the town's high street.

Mr Robert Haggerty, a driver for 12 years, said the council had dealt the trade a big blow when it announced plans to increase driver licences for private hire and hackney carriages, from £60.50 to £205.

He said: "I don't think any of the drivers are happy about this. But this will affect the private hire drivers more than hackney drivers because hackney can continue to collect its passengers in the upper part of High Street."

In protest, Mr Haggerty said private hire drivers from different firms had united and formed a campaign group.

So far, the group has collected 200 signatures from drivers who were not happy with the council's new plans.

At a council meeting on Thursday, February 27, at 7.30pm, a spokesman for the campaign group will speak in defence of the private hire drivers.

Mr Haggerty said drivers were also threatening to boycott Watford in a bid to make the council and police realise there was a taxi driver shortage in the town; and the difference private hire drivers made in clearing the town on a busy night.

He said: "We are all angry because a lot of our freedom to collect passengers from the town centre has been taken away by the council and the police.

"But hackney carriages can continue to collect passengers from the top of Watford's High Street, and are to be given a new taxi bay.

"This is problematic because there are more people wanting taxis than there are hackney carriages."

Chief Superintendent Chris Taylor, Area Commander for Western Division, said: "We and our partners are working together to ensure the cabs operating in the Watford area are properly licensed and safe."

A council spokesman said: "Even with this rise, the licence still only works out at £2.52 per week for a three-year driver's licence, or £4.92 per week for a one year licence.

"The money generated will be ploughed back into improving our licensing service. We will have more resources to introduce improvements for licensed drivers and the travelling public."