Festive revellers are being urged to make sure they use licensed taxis and private hire vehicles over the Christmas season.

Kirklees Council’s licensing department is encouraging people to avoid “bogus taxis” as those drivers will not be subject to the checks and approvals that licensed drivers are.

Councillor Mumtaz Hussain, chairman of the authority’s licensing committee, said: “During the Christmas period in particular there could be many vehicles on the roads posing as taxis and operating illegally.”

The Council is encouraging people to make sure they only use vehicles and drivers that are licensed.

A licensed vehicle will display a licence plate which will include the licensing authority, the license number, how many passengers it can carry and the vehicle registration number.