SOUTHAMPTON taxi drivers took to council doors, demanding for regulations to be relaxed so they can work for more than one company.

At least 30 of them went to the Civic Centre on Monday morning protesting to be given flexibility in their jobs.

They want Southampton City Council to allow them to use magnetic door signs on their cars in a bid to enable drivers to work for more than one firm and reduce the risks of taxis being vandalised.

The city council said magnetic door signs, which show the name of the taxi company and licensing authority, are not allowed in a bid to protect the public.

However protest organiser Ali Haydor, the Southampton private hire trade representative, has hit back saying the council's policy doesn't cover out-of-town taxi cars.

He said: "This has been going on for a long time and they keep on saying they want to protect the public. We’re saying that’s fair enough. But what public are we talking about, are we talking about city citizens?

"If that’s the case, you’re not dealing with them. Out-of-town cars licensed by other councils are using our lanes to pick up the same public in Southampton they are trying to protect."

"We understand council policy, we just want to have a bit of leniency as we have got to follow all of these rules."

Ali added that his drivers have to follow the council's rules while other taxi drivers are getting licenses from elsewhere.

Mr Haydor, who organised the protest with newly-elected representative Jamilur Rahman, also claimed that more taxis with a permanent sign are being vandalised.

He said: "We want to be able to take the signs off to give us privacy. Not all of these drivers from out-of-town have to have stickers. We want the flexibility."

Southampton City Councillor Dave Shields, cabinet member for stronger communities, said: “The primary role of licensing is public safety and therefore we do not allow magnetic door signs. Magnetic signs can easily be stolen and placed on an unlicensed vehicles, giving the appearance of a licensed vehicle that could be used for unlawful purposes.

"We require the vehicle to display the current operator to assist those using the taxi to identify the vehicle they have booked.

"There is no evidence that supports the argument that the removal of either of these safety requirements will increase the volume of work available to the trade as a whole.

"The number of customers will remain the same. We are not aware of any increase in the number of vehicles being damaged and to our knowledge incidents of vandalism to licensed vehicles remain low.

"We are proud of our record with safety and were the first authority to mandate the fitting of taxi cameras and as a leading authority in this area, we will always recommend that the public chose a Southampton licensed vehicle.”