A late-night operation has seen two taxis taken off the road for safety concerns in the run up to festive celebrations.

Licensing officers from North West Leicestershire District Council, with the support of Leicestershire Police, carried out spot checks on 11 private hire and hackney cabs over the weekend to ensure vehicles are safe.

The checks saw officers complete rigorous tests, such as an MOT on the taxis to make sure they are roadworthy and safe for passengers.

The operation resulted in:

• Three taxis with no defects

• One advisory

• Seven in need of re-testing, including two with serious safety concerns.

The council says that licensing plates have been temporarily removed from the taxis with serious safety defects while they are made safe.

Once defects are repaired, a total of seven taxis will be re-tested to ensure they are road legal.

The operation was completed in addition to regular vehicle checks; taxis up to six years old are annually inspected by the licensing team, while older vehicles are tested every six months to ensure they are safe.

The spot-check event was the first completed by the North West Leicestershire Safety Partnership since 2019 - although officers have continued to maintain strict safety standards through regular testing.

Cllr Andrew Woodman, Chair of the Safety Partnership, said: "When you're planning a night out or party you want to know that the taxi you're using is safe and roadworthy.

"The majority of the vehicles inspected during the operation were in great condition or had minor defects, but it's reassuring to know the two with serious safety concerns have been taken off the road so the drivers can bring them back up to standard.

"We take public safety seriously and this operation in the run up to Christmas is on top of our regular taxi testing programme."