About 100 of Bradford's licensed cabbies are backing a rebellion by six drivers who are refusing to pay fees being demanded by Bradford Council.

The row erupted after the drivers were cautioned by Council enforcement officers who filmed them as they worked in Kirkgate.

The drivers were accused of illegally plying for hire on the road outside the official ranks provided by the Council.

But they deny the allegations and are refusing to pay the £25 administration charges for the cautions to the Council's hackney unit.

That leaves them facing court action and the possibility of their licences being revoked or suspended.

There are 224 hackney carriages with 280 drivers operating across the district, but they claim they are being forced to wait on the roads to get on the ranks because there are too few spaces for them.

Now Jitendra Gupta, of Bradford Hackney Carriage Association, has sent a 100-name petition to Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe, Bradford West MP Marsha Singh and the Council's chief executive Ian Stewart, asking for the payment demands to be withdrawn. They have appealed for more spaces and ranks, and complained about drivers being filmed by enforcement officers when they were unaware the Council had adopted the method.

If they do not pay, the Council is expected to prosecute them for illegally plying for hire under the Road Traffic Act in a magistrates court. They face fines of up to £200 but cannot be banned from driving because it is not an endorseable offence. If they were found guilty they would be referred back to the Council's hackney carriage private hire panel, where councillors could remove their licences.

Mohammed Ashfaq, 40, who has been a hackney driver for two years said: "They haven't shown us the films. Mine was so long ago I can't even remember what I was doing. I could have been with my family, dropping my children or anything."

Jagrna Singh, 43, of Clayton, who has been a hackney carriage driver for about 24 years said: "We have been spied on and treated like criminals. We provide a good service and sometimes we only earn £25 a day. It is disgusting."

The drivers demands include: pick-up points outside Morrisons in Westgate, BHS in Cheapside, and other busy spots in the city; use of bus lanes in busy periods; prompt implementation of agreed fare increases - the drivers say fares decided last November are still not in force; and more ranks and places and an extension of operating times outside Livingstones and the Walkabout pub in the West End of the city.

Councillor Michael Walls, chairman of the hackney carriage and private hire panel, said: "They are aware of the rules and there are ranks which are never used in some parts of Bradford. They cause obstruction and on one occasion an ambulance was unable to get down Kirkgate." He said the first two cabs waiting outside a rank were classed as "over ranking" - not an offence - but others were categorised as illegally applying for hire.

A Council spokesman said: "We have received a letter from Mr Gupta and are looking into the points raised."

Hackney carriage drivers are only allowed to wait for trade in designated ranks but they can be flagged down for journeys. Private hire drivers can only carry pre-booked fares.

The Council provides 44 hackney carriage ranks across the district providing 231 spaces. There are a further nine spaces at the interchange, which are on private land.