Three taxis were taken off the roads in Oldham following a night of action cracking down on unsafe taxis.

Oldham Council recently carried out the operation alongside officers from Greater Manchester Police's Traffic Unit and colleagues from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

The crackdown was aimed at making sure taxis and drivers operating in the borough were safe.

The council said that in total, 18 private hire and hackney vehicles were pulled over by officers.

The taxis were then taken to the council’s depot on Moorhey Street, where they were checked by trained mechanics to see if they were safe enough to be driven on the roads.

Of the 18 cars stopped, three were immediately taken off the roads.

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The council said this was for a variety of reasons, including odd size tyres, a wrong headlamp, an oil leak, missing parts and a cut in a tyre.

The taxi drivers of the cars were told they cannot be used to pick up passengers until the faults have been fixed.

Licensing staff also carried out checks on the drivers to ensure all their paperwork was in order.

Cllr Elaine Taylor, Deputy Leader of Oldham Council and portfolio holder for licensing said: “A lot of residents rely on them to get around and they particularly support the night time economy.

“However, no one should be driving a vehicle that isn’t up to standard. Faulty vehicles potentially put the lives of passengers, other road users and pedestrians at risk.

“We’ll continue to work with the trade and take action to ensure drivers and taxis that operate in Oldham are safe."