TAXI drivers in Middlesbrough are planning to stage a protest after a spate of attacks turned a housing estate into a no-go area.

Passengers hoping to get a cab to Brambles Farm are being declined after a series of incidents in which drivers have been threatened with knives and chains.

The situation is so bad that Middlesbrough Hackney Carriages' Association is considering holding a demonstration and stopping all taxis on a selected Friday and Saturday night.

Secretary Joe Durkin said the problem had escalated in recent weeks, with gangs of youths prowling the streets and surrounding taxis when they drove on to the estate.

"Drivers are getting attacked and robbed of their money on a regular basis. We are on about having some form of protest by taking our vehicles off the road. It's not just Brambles Farm, but that is the area at the moment where it is particularly bad," he said.

"Kids of 15 and 16 open the doors of the taxis and demand the cash bags. We are now advising drivers to take money home in between jobs.

"Fortunately, nobody has yet been seriously hurt, but it is only a matter of time before that happens."

Cleveland Police Authority member Abdul Majid raised the issue at an authority meeting yesterday.

He had been told of six attacks on taxi drivers in the past two weeks.

"These kids stick a knife to their throats and another puts a chain around their necks," he said.

"What really struck me to the heart was that a disabled lady in Middlesbrough wanted to be taken home, but the taxi driver did not want to take her. This estate is literally becoming no-go."

He told Chief Constable Barry Shaw: "Something urgent needs to be done. Crime is like a contagious disease - it spreads fast. There should be no no-go areas in Cleveland."

Detective Superintendent Adrian Roberts said: "All allegations of robbery are rigorously investigated.