TAXI drivers in Darlington are threatening strike action over plans to force them to take a specialised cab driving test.

While no strike date has yet been finalised, they warn that a Saturday night stoppage would cause most disruption.

Drivers say that the blanket enforcement of the new test, which only has a 50 per cent pass rate in other parts of the UK, will drive individuals and companies out of business.

They say that if Darlington Borough Council approves the scheme at a meeting of the town's Transport Forum on Monday, they will have no choice but to stop work.

Mick Kennedy, chairman of the Darlington Independent Taxi Traders Organisation (Ditto), said drivers supported the test, which they believed would keep bad drivers away from the trade.

But they were opposed to the council's proposal to force existing drivers to take the 40-minute test, which is currently voluntary.

Mr Kennedy said: "When drivers took the test in Leeds only 40 per cent passed, and the national pass rate is just 50 per cent, which indicates that the test is too hard.

"If a 24-hour taxi company with 100 drivers and 50 cars has to go through that, it is going to be left with only half its staff.

"Existing drivers should not have to take the new test. Wagon drivers and coach drivers did not have to when their new tests were introduced, so why should we?"

Ditto voted to take strike action if the council imposed the test on existing drivers as well as new recruits.

Mr Kennedy said: "Because we are self-employed, we do not have to give notice of strike action.

"We may well do it on a Saturday night, and leave 15,000 people in the centre of Darlington.

"We don't want to do that because of public safety issues it may cause, but if the council goes ahead with exactly what is planned, without listening to the drivers, it leaves us with no choice."

A spokesman for the council said: "A strike of any sort is not something that we want to happen. We will wait and see what happens at the forum, which is an opportunity to hear all sides.