MORE than 150 safety checks were carried out on taxis in a County Durham district at the weekend.

It was the first time that Durham police have teamed up with Derwentside District Council to carry out a mass inspection of vehicles in the Consett and Stanley area.

Of the cars examined, three were ordered off the road because of serious faults, 14 vehicle defect notices were issued for a total of 25 less serious offences mainly regarding brakes or lights, and 43 verbal warnings were given for minor transgressions.

In total, 200 vehicles were inspected. Of the remaining 50, half could not be examined on Friday or Saturday for genuine reasons, but were seen on the Sunday. The rest are to be the subject of follow-up inquiries.

A police spokesman said that it was interesting that about half the vehicles had recently been fitted with new tyres and nearly every taxi seemed to have had a valet before it was driven for the inspections at the council depot in Morrison Road, Annfield Plain.

"The point of the exercise was to ensure the safety of the travelling public, and we think it was very worthwhile," said PC Keith Butler of the accident unit.

"This was the first time for an operation like this in Derwentside, although there was a similar exercise in Darlington a couple of years ago. We may extend the idea to other areas, and there could be further checks later in the year."

Richard Cooper, chairman of the Derwentside Licensed Taxis Association, said: "It was in the interests of safety and, even though it may have been inconvenient, we gave it our full support."