TWO Darlington taxi firms say abusive customers have forced them to shut their town centre offices on Friday and Saturday nights.

The companies say a shortage of taxi drivers has led to mayhem on weekends, with staff at their offices being shouted and spat at by frustrated customers who have to wait a long time to be taken home.

1AB and United Taxis will still take fares over the phone but are putting the shutters up at their respective offices in Northgate and Gladstone Street.

They blame Darlington Borough Council for introducing a compulsory driving test for cabbies, which they say is deterring people from joining the trade.

Paul Rimmer, at 1AB, said: "We are having to do this because of the threats of violence on a Friday and Saturday night.

"We can't actually handle the volume of work because of the shortage of drivers. People are physically fighting to get in cars."

Driver Michael Winn said that windows at the 1AB office had been shattered and pizzas had been thrown at telephone operators by customers. "They are waiting that long to get a taxi and they are full of drink, that is why it happens," he said.

The firms said people had to wait up to 45 minutes to get a taxi at peak times. Two years ago, 1AB had 52 drivers but now it has only 26.

Mr Rimmer said: "They have decimated the trade by bringing in the test."

United owner Mike Wilson said: "I have lost at least a quarter of my normal workforce. My staff are getting abused and it's purely and simply because of the long wait people have to endure."

The council's licensing manager Barry Pearson said the authority stood by its decision to bring in the Driving Standards Agency test, although he added that "very few" recruits had joined the trade since the test was introduced.

He said the number of taxi drivers in the town was only slightly down and there were still about 400 with licences.

He said: "I have suggested to both United and 1AB that we need a meeting with the police to talk about what the problem is."