Former pop star Kerry Katona launched a women-only taxi service yesterday.

Pink Ladies, which has a females-only policy for drivers and passengers, opens in Warrington, Cheshire, next week.

It is expected to become the first nationwide all-female taxi service, with franchises already sold in Brighton, Newcastle and across North-West England.

Katona launched the company after posing for pictures on one of its fleet of 14 pink Renault Kangoos, which have pink leather interior.

She said: "I always feel so much safer when it is a woman driver. It's all about peace of mind and safety.

"I once nodded off in the back of a cab after a night out and luckily the driver knew who I was and where I lived.

"I was very lucky - anything could have happened to me in that situation."

The company was founded by Tina Dutton - a family friend of Katona's - and Andrea Winders.

Ms Dutton said: "The vast majority of taxi drivers are safe and reliable, but there has been a rise in recent years in serious sexual assaults against women, who are often travelling in an unlicensed minicab, late at night.

"We want to provide women with the choice of having the extra peace of mind of a woman driver."