CUSTOMERS will hear a recorded warning message before they book a taxi with a non-Bradford licence, under planned new rules.

Around 200 private hire cars in Bradford currently hold hackney carriage licences from the Lancashire borough of Rossendale, where driver and vehicle checks are said to be less stringent.

Last year, Bradford Council deputy leader Councillor Val Slater urged the public not to get into cabs licensed in Rossendale, because of safety fears.

Now the authority looks set to impose more rules on cab companies who employ drivers with non-Bradford licences.

Minicab firms would be forced to install separate customer phone lines for the cabbies licensed by other areas.

People calling this number would hear a recorded message warning them that the drivers did not hold Bradford licences, so Bradford Council couldn't act on any complaints about the service.

Bookings would also have to be recorded on a completely separate filing system, under the changes due to be approved on Wednesday.

Operators who employ out-of-area drivers already have to prove they are properly ensured to work in Bradford.

Private hire firms in Bradford have said the increasing administration means they are likely to stop taking on Rossendale drivers altogether.

Maz Iqbal, operations manager at private hire firm Girlington All Over, said they would stop employing out-of-area drivers if the new rules came into effect.

He said drivers licensed by other authorities only represented five to ten per cent of their 280-strong fleet of drivers, and it wouldn't be worth the extra administration to keep them on.

He said: "Most likely, they will stop working for us. I can't see us investing any money in our business, just to employ these guys.

"We have been pushing the council about this for quite a while. There was a period of 12 months or so when we refused to take any out-of-area drivers on, but then everybody else was.

"I think it's a good thing really, because at the end of the day, if you are working for Bradford you should be licensed by Bradford Council."

Maqsood Zaman, who runs Local Cars in Wibsey, said they were already in the process of getting new Bradford licenses for their Rossendale drivers.

He said of the four Rossendale drivers who had been on their books, two had already gained Bradford licences, one was getting a licence this week and the last had started the process of getting one.

He said they were supporting each of the drivers by helping them prepare for requirements like their knowledge tests.

Mr Zaman said it was simply becoming too much work for operators to keep on drivers licensed by other authorities.

He said: "It is basically too much work for operators. Life is hell for operators. At every single council meeting, there's always something about Rossendale."

Earlier this month, Rossendale Council revealed it would no longer be granting licences to drivers working outside its patch.

But existing drivers can continue to use their licenses until they need to be renewed, which could be in up to 18 months' time.