A NEW campaign targeting young binge-drinkers could help develop closer links between the police and taxi drivers.

Tony Brimm, who owns Travel 6 taxis in Bishop Middleham, near Sedgefield, has been exploring the possibility of forming an organisation for taxi drivers which would be similar to local Pubwatch groups.

This week, as Darlington, Sedgefield and Wear and Tees Community Partnerships join forces to launch the Nightsafe Campaign, the 36-year-old will explain to organisers how taxi drivers cope with binge-drinking passengers.

He said: "I don't really know much about the campaign because I only found out about the launch last week, but it is good that taxi drivers are going to have a say.

"It is the taxi drivers who are on the frontline, and we get a sense of whether there is going to be trouble or not.

"It would be good to have some sort of group where taxi drivers can warn each other and even work closely with Pubwatch and the police.

"We are all dealing with the same people, after all.''

Mr Brimm, who runs the firm with wife Carole, believes that binge-drinking and the trouble it can bring lies firmly with a minority and not just young people.

He said: "There are a lot of decent people of all ages who just go out and enjoy themselves.

"It really is the minority we are dealing with.''

The campaign, which will be launched at Redworth Hall Hotel, near Newton Aycliffe on Friday, will target 18 to 24-year-old men in particular.

It is timed to coincide with festive celebrations and the new Licensing Act, which comes into force at the end of the week.

Provocative posters will be placed on the back of buses on posters and beer mats, each carrying the same message - drink sensibly, know your limits and avoid that extra drink, and always walk away from trouble.

It is hoped that by improving links between the police, licensees, taxi drivers and the ambulance service that anti-social behaviour and binge-drinking could become a thing of the past.

* In The Northern Echo tomorrow, community inspector George Ledger talks about how a Nightsafe pilot scheme, which has been running in Bishop Auckland for the past year, has been successful.