COUNCILLORS have called for taxi drivers to choose the colour scheme for city cabs.

Durham City Council has angered drivers with its plan to phase in colour policy that would require all vehicles to be white.

Drivers say they should be a different colour to differentiate Durham taxis from those of neighbouring authorities.

The council's economy scrutiny panel this week heard calls for the drivers to be allowed to decide the colour.

Coun Bill Kellett said drivers would have to pay extra to have new vehicles delivered in white as it was a non-standard colour. "We should listen to the drivers," he said.

The committee agreed to affirm the decision to introduce a colour policy and to suggest to the cabinet that applicants for the nine new hackney licences that the council will issue should be asked their views on the colour scheme as they will be the first to be affected by the policy.

Council solicitor Leslie Blackie said the city's taxi associations - which favoured silver - were now opposed to a colour policy.

The cabinet will discuss the issue next week.

The associations last month staged a strike in protest at the plans to issue the new licences, the colour scheme and a requirement for disabled access vehicles.