TAXI fares in Darlington are among the highest in the region, a survey has found.

The figures have been highlighted by Darlington Borough Council after the town's taxi drivers voted to go on strike over the introduction of a new driving standards test.

They are furious at the council's decision to order cabbies to take the test before their licences can be renewed.

The authority has hit back with figures showing that taxi fares in Darlington are among the highest in the North.

A trade publication revealed that a two-mile taxi journey in the town costs an average of £4.16 - more than York and Liverpool, and only four pence cheaper than Newcastle.

The figures in the Private Hire and Taxi Monthly magazine place Darlington in the so-called Premier League of charges. A spokesman for the borough council said the statistics showed that the standards test was necessary to ensure a suitable service was being provided.

"The Darlington taxi trade charges fares that are in the Premier League category, so it is important that passenger and vehicle safety, and driving standards, are also in the Premier League," he said.

Only Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, the Isle of Man, Newcastle and Blackpool have cabbies who charge more than Darlington, according to the survey.

But drivers insist that the quality of their service is not in question and they are mounting a legal challenge to the council's ruling.

At a meeting last week, they voted unanimously to contribute to a fund to hire a barrister to fight the council in court.

A date for the proposed strike will not be revealed by drivers - so the council has no time to draw up contingency plans - but it is likely to be a busy weekend night.