Taxi drivers

Earlier this year Durham City Council decided that the city's fleet of hackney carriages should eventually all be white.

But drivers and operators objected saying that people would not be able to tell local cabs from those from neighbouring areas if a problem arose

They also said it would create difficulties because many manufacturers did not make white cars as standard and drivers faced two-month waits for vehicles or had to pay for re-sprays.

But the city's magistrates have overturned the decision after Adrian Fets, chairman of the Durham Independent Taxi Association, lodged an appeal.

For now, at least, there is no restriction on the colour of cars but the council has three weeks to appeal against the court's decision.

Mr Fets said: "We were awarded costs. There were two barristers involved. It has cost the council thousands of pounds of council taxpayers' money. It is an absolute disgrace. The council didn't put forward any reasonable reason for the cars to be white except that other vehicles in the county were white.

"I'm over the moon. I'm glad common sense has prevailed. This nearly cost me my business."

Bryan Roland, secretary of the National Private Hire Association, which supported the appeal, said: "The legislation says rules imposed on taxis have to be reasonably necessary. The council could not make out that the rule was but we managed to convince the court that the rules were costing the guys so much money that it wasn't reasonable."

The council's new Liberal Democrat leader, Fraser Reynolds, said the council would look at the court's ruling and consider whether to appeal. He said the council had wanted a uniform colour so people could tell immediately that a cab was local.